2019 Engineering Sustainable Development

Invited Talk: Sustainable Biofuel Production Using Renewable Electricity

Author

Chun Ho Lam - Presenter, City University of Hong Kong
Biomass fast pyrolysis liquid (aka bio-oil) has been long regarded as one of the most promising renewable carbon feedstocks. However, freshly pyrolyzed bio-oil is acidic and corrosive containing large quantities of carbonyl and phenolic compounds that polymerize under acidic conditions. This presentation shares an electrochemical strategy to hydrogenate the carbonyl groups using only earth abundant metal catalysts. The upgraded biofuel goes through a series of hydrodeoxygenation under ambient conditions (60 oC and 1 atm). The product displays improved stability and higher specific energy. In addition to covering reaction mechanisms, this talk will also discuss why electrocatalysis is an important technique in the biofuel circle. Electrocatalysis enables direct installation of renewable energy into liquified biomass, which effectively creates a renewable energy hydrocarbon battery that is compatible with the fueling infrastructure.