Electrocatalytic oxidation of glycerol performed by nickel/cobalt alloys: Adding value to a common subproduct of chemical industry

• Published in: Electrochimica acta Vol. 506; p. 145013
• Main Authors: Massaneiro, Jonas, Valério, Tatiana Lima, Pellosi, Diogo Silva, Gonçalves da Silva, Bruno J., Vidotti, Marcio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.12.2024
• Subjects: Electrocatalysis; GC–MS; Glycerol; Nickel and cobalt alloys; Glycerol; Electrocatalysis; GC–MS; Nickel and cobalt alloys
• ISSN: 0013-4686
• DOI: 10.1016/j.electacta.2024.145013

•Direct electrosynthesis of nickel-cobalt electrocatalysts.•Kinetic studies for glycerol oxidation in alkaline electrolyte.•Determination of generated products by CG-MS.•High electrocatalysis rate for the formation of new molecules. The present work shows the electrocatalytical performance of nickel/cobalt alloys towards the conversion of glycerol into higher value molecules, such as glycolic acid, oxalic acid, maleic acid, diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol, identified by chromatographic technique. To do so, the alloy was directly electrodeposited on graphite electrodes, which is a simple, readily available and cheap material, the modified electrodes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy and electrochemical analysis. Kinetic parameters were obtained using by both Galus methodology and rotating disc electrode (RDE), obtaining the better electrocatalytic modified electrode and the total number of electrons transferred per mol of glycerol. The modified electrode labeled as Ni0.8Co0.2(OH)2 proportion has achieved the highest glycerol conversion after 4 h of reaction, approximately 99.8%, with an energy consumption of 36.38 W/mol. [Display omitted]