Co-electrolysis of waste plastics and carbon dioxide(CO_(2)) into value-added chemicals or fuels is a promising pathway for a sustainable society, but efficient and selective conversion remains a challenge. Herein, a gold-mediated nickel hydroxide(Au/Ni(OH)_(2)) is developed to oxidize waste plastic-derived ethylene glycol(EG) into formate. In-situ electrochemical experiments and theoretical results reveal that the introduction of Au favors the redox properties and EG adsorption behavior of Ni(OH)_(2). The Au/Ni(OH)_(2) catalyst shows an excellent formate selectivity of >90% at high current densities of above 100 m A cm^(-2). When coupled with sputtered bismuth(Bi) cathode for CO_(2) reduction, a high formate Faradic efficiency(FE) of 188.2% at 200 m A cm^(-2)and a good formate productivity of 7.33 mmol m^(-2)s^(-1)at 10 A are obtained in a flow cell and a zero-gap membrane electrode assembly(MEA) cell, respectively. This work demonstrates a promising strategy to convert waste plastics and CO_(2) into valuable products.
Dongfeng DuFusong KangShiru YangBin ShaoJingshan Luo
Biomass-to-ethylene glycol is an effective means to achieve high-value utilisation of cellulose but is hindered by low conversion efficiency and poor catalyst activity and stability.Glucose and cellobiose are derivatives of cellulose conversion to ethylene glycol,and it is found that studying the reaction process of both can help to understand the reaction mechanism of cellulose.It is desirable to develop a reusable,highly active catalyst to convert cellulose into ethylene glycol.This ideal catalyst might have one or more active sites described the conversion steps above.Here,we discuss the catalyst development of celluloseto-ethylene glycol,including tungsten,tin,lanthanide,and other transition metal catalysts,and special attention is given to the reaction mechanism and kinetics for preparing ethylene glycol from cellulose,and the economic advantages of biomass-to-ethylene glycol are briefly introduced.The insights given in this review will facilitate further development of efficient catalysts,for addressing the global energy crisis and climate change related to the use of fossil fuels.