Researchers at the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology have developed an electrochemical system that produces hydrogen gas alongside epoxides instead of oxygen, according to a study published in Nature Communications.
Water electrolysis has struggled to compete economically against hydrogen derived from methane or coal. Standard electrolysis yields low-value oxygen gas at the anode. The proposed paired electrosynthesis method replaces oxygen production with the synthesis of valuable chemicals to improve the process's financial viability.
The system blends an aqueous electrolyte with olefins suspended in an inert organic co-solvent. Bromide electrolysis generates gaseous hydrogen while leaving bromine confined in the solution. This bromine then partially oxidizes the olefins into epoxides and regenerates back into bromide ions for reuse.
Guilin Ruan and Avner Rothschild demonstrated the concept using styrene, converting water and styrene into hydrogen gas and styrene oxide. The authors reported that the membraneless configuration achieved high efficiency, high reaction rates, and high product selectivity, while noting the method can extend to a broad range of olefins.
Technion Research & Development Foundation Ltd. filed U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/715,733 for continuous hydrogen and chemical co-production systems based on the work. The project received support from the European Research Council under Horizon Europe grant No. 101097966, the Israel National Institute for Energy Storage, and the Grand Technion Energy Program.
