Scientists develop corrosion-induced electrodes for biomass upgrading

BEIJING -- A group of Chinese researchers have utilized metal corrosion to prepare high-performance electrodes, enabling efficient and cost-effective upgrading of biomass, according to a research article published in journal Chem Catalysis on Monday.

Corrosion is a common phenomenon that can lead to material failure and economic losses. Meanwhile, scientists around the world are exploring the potential of metal corrosion for beneficial applications, particularly in biomass upgrading.

Biomass is among the most abundant renewable resources on earth, said Zhang Jian from the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering (NIMTE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

Through catalytic conversion, biomass can upgrade into fuels and chemicals that can substitute traditional fossil resources.

Inspired by the idea of "turning damage into benefits," Zhang and his teammates at the NIMTE combined spontaneous metal corrosion with efficient biomass upgrading.

They fabricated a type of microwire array on copper foam to enable the efficient electrochemical reduction of the biomass, which can be further converted into environmentally friendly plastic or rubber products, high-value derivatives, and high-quality bio-based chemicals through simple methods.

Moreover, the prepared electrode demonstrated a remarkable biomass conversion rate of roughly 96 percent, according to the study. And the activation energy for the electrocatalytic reduction of the biomass was significantly lower than in thermocatalysis.

The researcher acknowledged that their study challenged conventional views on metal corrosion phenomena and enabled the production of highly efficient catalysts at an extremely low cost.