Sustainable Electrosynthesis

The intermittent availability of renewable energy leads to the need of finding new ways to store electric energy. For this reason, we work on the development of sustainable electrochemical synthesis processes driven by renewable electric energy, which is then stored in the form of chemical bonds. By using widely available renewable resources, such as carbon dioxide, water and biomass, we aim to establish an important pillar for a sustainable circular economy.

CO₂ reduction

CO₂ can be electrochemically reduced to valuable energy sources and other useful raw materials, such as synthesis gas (a mixture of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen), formic acid and ethylene. With the objective to enable the industrial application of such technologies, we develop electrocatalysts and processes for the electrochemical production of various CO₂ reduction products with a strong focus on industrially relevant performance indicators, e.g. high current density, selectivity and stability at continuous operation in flow cells.

Hydrogen peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) is an important chemical product that is used in large quantities in various industries. Currently, H₂O₂ is produced via the anthraquinone‑autoxidation (AO) process, which is energy-intensive and poses environmental risks. The electrochemical production of H₂O₂ offers an environmentally friendly alternative, particularly suitable for decentralized production of H₂O₂ on demand and at the location where it is needed. In our labs we work on the electrochemical two-electron‑oxidation of water (H₂O) to H₂O₂, where we have already reached high selectivity and process stability at industrially relevant operational conditions (continuous flow, high current density).

• Conceptual development of electrochemical processes
• Development and optimization of electrocatalysts, electrodes and electrolysis cells for a multitude of applications
• Customized and application-specific development of processes and prototypes
• Simulation and modeling
• Scale up, process and plant design
  

• Pangotra et al., Electrochemical Water Oxidation to Hydrogen Peroxide on Bipolar Plates, ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 2023, https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acssuschemeng.2c06314.
• Pangotra et al., Anodic generation of hydrogen peroxide in continuous flow, Green Chemistry, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1039/D2GC02575B.
• Pangotra et al., Anodic production of hydrogen peroxide using commercial carbon materials, Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 2021, https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0926337321009735.
• Perry, Pangotra et al., Electrochemical synthesis of hydrogen peroxide from water and oxygen, Nature Reviews Chemistry, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41570-019-0110-6.