Biomass Electrochemical Reactor for Upgrading Biorefinery Waste to Industrial Chemicals and Hydrogen Award Number: DE-EE0007105 CX(s) Applied: A9, B3.6 Bioenergy Technologies Office Date: 01/28/2016 Location(s): OH Office(s): Golden Field Office
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January 28, 2016
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Biomass Electrochemical Reactor for Upgrading Biorefinery Waste to Industrial Chemicals and Hydrogen
Award Number: DE-EE0007105
CX(s) Applied: A9, B3.6
Bioenergy Technologies Office
Date: 01/28/2016
Location(s): OH
Office(s): Golden Field Office
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is proposing to provide federal funding to Ohio University to develop an electrochemical reactor to convert lignin-rich biorefinery waste streams to bio-based phenol substitutes suitable for use in green resins with co-production of hydrogen. The proposed project would also develop detailed techno-economic analyses to integrate the electrochemical reactor into the biorefinery concept.
The proposed project activities would include design and synthesis of titanium oxide (TiO2) supported Nickel-Cobalt (Ni-Co) and Ni-Co electrocatalysts for the electrochemical oxidation of lignin to industrial chemicals. Electrochemical oxidation experiments would be performed in alkaline solutions, and oxidation products would be identified by analytical methods. A continuous-flow, lab-scale electrochemical reactor would be designed and constructed. The reactor would fit on a standard lab bench and would not require any modifications to the facility. Product streams would be analyzed for their utility in industrial processes, and process flow sheets would be developed integrating the electrochemical process into the biorefinery concept. Research and development activities would take place at the Center for Electrochemical Engineering Research and the Department of Chemistry at Ohio University, and at Hexion, Inc.'s Technology Center in Louisville, KY.