Upgrading of Bio-Oil Model Compounds and Bio-Crude into Biofuel by Electrocatalysis: A Review

Limited availability of fossil energy and serious environmental pollution have caused the emergence of bio-oil, which can serve as an alternative and promising green energy source. However, bio-oil generated from the rapid pyrolysis of biomass cannot be utilized immediately owing to its corrosivity, instability, and low heating value. Herein, the electrocatalytic hydrogenation (ECH) process towards bio-oil upgrading is reviewed. Specifically, the ECH integrates the advantages of mild operating conditions, no petrochemically derived hydrogen and good controllability. The influence of different factors on the conversion of bio-oil components and product selectivity in the ECH process are presented comprehensively. In addition, various reaction mechanisms are discussed in the designed ECH systems. Finally, some challenges need to be further overcome for real bio-oil reduction in the ECH process: exploration of efficient multifunctional electrocatalysts for specific bio-oil components and determination of the dominant steps in the complicated reaction path network.

Automated summary

Bio-oil, as an alternative and promising green energy source, needs to be upgraded through the electrocatalytic hydrogenation (ECH) process due to its nature issues. ECH integrates the advantages of mild operating conditions, no petrochemically derived hydrogen and good controllability, but still faces challenges in determining the dominant steps and exploring efficient electrocatalysts.