Arrieta Alvaro A, Ducuara Jorge A, Nuñez de la Rosa Yamid
Department of Biology and Chemistry, University of Sucre (Universidad de Sucre), Sincelejo CP 700001, Colombia.
Faculty of Engineering and Basic Sciences, Fundación Universitaria los Libertadores, Bogotá D.C. CP 111221, Colombia.
Molecules. 2025 Mar 16;30(6):1330. doi: 10.3390/molecules30061330.
The valorization of agricultural waste has gained attention due to the need for sustainable technologies addressing environmental and economic challenges. The aim of this work is to investigate the electrochemical transformation of anacardic acid, a major component of cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL), into organic acids and polymeric materials. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) was carried out on ethanolic anacardic acid solutions with NaOH as the supporting electrolyte to induce oxidation reactions. CV, FTIR spectroscopy, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were used to analyze the transformation processes. The results revealed oxidation sequences involving phenoxyl radicals, hydroquinones, and benzoquinones, leading to ring-opening reactions and the production of low-molecular-weight organic acids, including propionic, formic, oxalic, lactic, and acetic acids, as confirmed by HPLC. Polymerization processes were also observed, leading to the attainment of polymeric materials. FTIR spectra showed changes in phenol and carboxylic acid bands, confirming chemical transformations. CV and EIS indicated irreversible oxidation processes with charge transfer coefficients between 0.397 and 0.414 controlled by diffusion-adsorption. This work demonstrates the feasibility of electrochemical oxidation as a green method for producing organic acids from anacardic acid, aligning with circular economy principles and reducing reliance on petrochemical sources. It highlights the potential of electrochemical approaches for sustainable biomass utilization and fine chemical synthesis.
由于需要可持续技术来应对环境和经济挑战，农业废弃物的增值已受到关注。这项工作的目的是研究腰果壳液（CNSL）的主要成分——漆树酸向有机酸和聚合物材料的电化学转化。以NaOH作为支持电解质，对乙醇溶液中的漆树酸进行循环伏安法（CV）以引发氧化反应。采用CV、傅里叶变换红外光谱（FTIR）和电化学阻抗谱（EIS）分析转化过程。结果揭示了涉及苯氧基自由基、对苯二酚和苯醌的氧化序列，导致开环反应并产生低分子量有机酸，包括丙酸、甲酸、草酸、乳酸和乙酸，这通过高效液相色谱法（HPLC）得到证实。还观察到了聚合过程，从而获得了聚合物材料。FTIR光谱显示酚和羧酸谱带发生了变化，证实了化学转化。CV和EIS表明氧化过程是不可逆的，电荷转移系数在0.397至0.414之间，受扩散吸附控制。这项工作证明了电化学氧化作为一种从漆树酸生产有机酸的绿色方法的可行性，符合循环经济原则并减少对石化来源的依赖。它突出了电化学方法在可持续生物质利用和精细化学合成方面的潜力。
