Efficient Conversion of Biomass to Formic Acid Coupled with Low Energy Consumption Hydrogen Production from Water Electrolysis

Abstract

The development of a new electrolytic water hydrogen production coupling system is the key to realize efficient and low-cost hydrogen production and promote its practical application. Herein, a green and efficient electrocatalytic biomass to formic acid (FA) coupled hydrogen production system has been developed. In such a system, carbohydrates such as glucose are oxidized to FA using polyoxometalates (POMs) as the redox anolyte, while H₂ is evolved continuously at the cathode. Among them, the yield of glucose to FA is as high as 62.5 %, and FA is the only liquid product. Furthermore, the system requires only 1.22 V to drive a current density of 50 mA cm^-2 , and the Faraday efficiency of hydrogen production is close to 100 %. Its electrical consumption is only 2.9 kWh Nm^-3 (H₂ ), which is only 69 % of that of traditional electrolytic water. This work opens up a promising direction for low-cost hydrogen production coupled with efficient biomass conversion.