Electrified hydrocarbon-to-oxygenates coupled to hydrogen evolution for efficient greenhouse gas mitigation

Wan Ru Leow; Simon Völker; Raoul Meys; Jianan Erick Huang; Shaffiq A. Jaffer; André Bardow; Edward H. Sargent

doi:10.1038/s41467-023-37382-3

Electrified hydrocarbon-to-oxygenates coupled to hydrogen evolution for efficient greenhouse gas mitigation

Wan Ru Leow^*, Simon Völker, Raoul Meys, Jianan Erick Huang, Shaffiq A. Jaffer, André Bardow^*, Edward H. Sargent^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Chemistry

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

21 Scopus citations

Abstract

Chemicals manufacture is among the top greenhouse gas contributors. More than half of the associated emissions are attributable to the sum of ammonia plus oxygenates such as methanol, ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid. Here we explore the impact of electrolyzer systems that couple electrically-powered anodic hydrocarbon-to-oxygenate conversion with cathodic H₂ evolution reaction from water. We find that, once anodic hydrocarbon-to-oxygenate conversion is developed with high selectivities, greenhouse gas emissions associated with fossil-based NH₃ and oxygenates manufacture can be reduced by up to 88%. We report that low-carbon electricity is not mandatory to enable a net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions: global chemical industry emissions can be reduced by up to 39% even with electricity having the carbon footprint per MWh available in the United States or China today. We conclude with considerations and recommendations for researchers who wish to embark on this research direction.

Original language	English (US)
Article number	1954
Journal	Nature communications
Volume	14
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-37382-3
State	Published - Dec 2023

Funding

This material is based upon work supported by the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities (Grant ORF-RE08-034), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada (Grant RGPIN-2017-06477), Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR) (Grant FS20-154 APPT.2378) and University of Toronto Connaught Fund (Grant GC 2012-13). W.R.L. would like to acknowledge the A*STAR Career Development Award (Grant number: C210112053) and Young Individual Research Grant (Grant number: A2084c0180). S.V. gratefully acknowledges funding by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) under Germany\u2019s Excellence Strategy - Cluster of Excellence 2186 \u201CThe Fuel Science Center\u201D ID: 390919832. A.B. acknowledges support from PATHFNDR as part of the SWEET programme for Swiss Energy research for the Energy Transition of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy SFOE.

ASJC Scopus subject areas

General Chemistry
General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
General Physics and Astronomy

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1038/s41467-023-37382-3

Cite this

@article{6b420570fea7403497ba95a9d842f852,

title = "Electrified hydrocarbon-to-oxygenates coupled to hydrogen evolution for efficient greenhouse gas mitigation",

abstract = "Chemicals manufacture is among the top greenhouse gas contributors. More than half of the associated emissions are attributable to the sum of ammonia plus oxygenates such as methanol, ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid. Here we explore the impact of electrolyzer systems that couple electrically-powered anodic hydrocarbon-to-oxygenate conversion with cathodic H2 evolution reaction from water. We find that, once anodic hydrocarbon-to-oxygenate conversion is developed with high selectivities, greenhouse gas emissions associated with fossil-based NH3 and oxygenates manufacture can be reduced by up to 88\%. We report that low-carbon electricity is not mandatory to enable a net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions: global chemical industry emissions can be reduced by up to 39\% even with electricity having the carbon footprint per MWh available in the United States or China today. We conclude with considerations and recommendations for researchers who wish to embark on this research direction.",

author = "Leow, \{Wan Ru\} and Simon V{\"o}lker and Raoul Meys and Huang, \{Jianan Erick\} and Jaffer, \{Shaffiq A.\} and Andr{\'e} Bardow and Sargent, \{Edward H.\}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2023, The Author(s).",

year = "2023",

month = dec,

doi = "10.1038/s41467-023-37382-3",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "14",

journal = "Nature communications",

issn = "2041-1723",

publisher = "Nature Research",

number = "1",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Electrified hydrocarbon-to-oxygenates coupled to hydrogen evolution for efficient greenhouse gas mitigation

AU - Leow, Wan Ru

AU - Völker, Simon

AU - Meys, Raoul

AU - Huang, Jianan Erick

AU - Jaffer, Shaffiq A.

AU - Bardow, André

AU - Sargent, Edward H.

PY - 2023/12

Y1 - 2023/12

N2 - Chemicals manufacture is among the top greenhouse gas contributors. More than half of the associated emissions are attributable to the sum of ammonia plus oxygenates such as methanol, ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid. Here we explore the impact of electrolyzer systems that couple electrically-powered anodic hydrocarbon-to-oxygenate conversion with cathodic H2 evolution reaction from water. We find that, once anodic hydrocarbon-to-oxygenate conversion is developed with high selectivities, greenhouse gas emissions associated with fossil-based NH3 and oxygenates manufacture can be reduced by up to 88%. We report that low-carbon electricity is not mandatory to enable a net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions: global chemical industry emissions can be reduced by up to 39% even with electricity having the carbon footprint per MWh available in the United States or China today. We conclude with considerations and recommendations for researchers who wish to embark on this research direction.

AB - Chemicals manufacture is among the top greenhouse gas contributors. More than half of the associated emissions are attributable to the sum of ammonia plus oxygenates such as methanol, ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid. Here we explore the impact of electrolyzer systems that couple electrically-powered anodic hydrocarbon-to-oxygenate conversion with cathodic H2 evolution reaction from water. We find that, once anodic hydrocarbon-to-oxygenate conversion is developed with high selectivities, greenhouse gas emissions associated with fossil-based NH3 and oxygenates manufacture can be reduced by up to 88%. We report that low-carbon electricity is not mandatory to enable a net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions: global chemical industry emissions can be reduced by up to 39% even with electricity having the carbon footprint per MWh available in the United States or China today. We conclude with considerations and recommendations for researchers who wish to embark on this research direction.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85152027565

UR - https://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85152027565&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1038/s41467-023-37382-3

DO - 10.1038/s41467-023-37382-3

M3 - Article

C2 - 37029102

AN - SCOPUS:85152027565

SN - 2041-1723

VL - 14

JO - Nature communications

JF - Nature communications

IS - 1

M1 - 1954

ER -

Electrified hydrocarbon-to-oxygenates coupled to hydrogen evolution for efficient greenhouse gas mitigation

Abstract

Funding

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this