Electrocatalytic transformation of biosourced organic molecules

Lignocellulosic biomass represents a very huge renewable carbon reservoir to generate derivatives of paramount interest for producing biofuels or value-added chemicals. The main problem to achieve high conversion rate, selectivity and yield from electrooxidation or electro-hydrogenation/hydrogenolysis of the raw biopolymers constituting lignocellulosic biomass (lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose) into monomers and olig-omers (aromatics, sugars, polyols, acids, furans, etc.) is their low solubility and accessibility to catalysts. The search for alternative bio-sourced media represents an important research axis. Derivatives of these biopolymers are interesting building blocks. But these molecules are very complex in structure and possess different chemical functions making their selective electroconversion difficult. The development of nanostructured catalytic materials adapted for the selective activation/conversion of a given chemical bond/function at low overpotentials is a very huge challenge for the future, as well as the design of reactors allowing the conversion of highly concentrated solutions, in order to integrate these electro-chemical processes in biorefinery.

Automated summary

Lignocellulosic biomass is a valuable carbon reservoir for the production of biofuels and chemicals. However, the low solubility and accessibility of the raw biopolymers hinder efficient conversion into useful compounds. Exploring alternative bio-sourced media and developing selective catalytic materials are important challenges for future biorefinery processes.