Overview:

Current chemical manufacturing processes predominantly rely on fossil fuels both for starting materials and energy, driving the need for sustainable alternatives. Biomass offers a  solution for renewable starting materials, and renewable electricity can be used to transform these through electrochemistry. This research aims to develop sustainable polymers utilizing biomass and electrochemistry.

Nylon 6,6 is a widely used polymer, mostly in textiles and plastics. It relies on a precursor molecule, adiponitrile (ADN) which is traditionally produced through an energy-intensive thermochemical hydrocyanation of 1,3 butadiene using highly toxic hydrogen cyanide. Alternatively, ADN can be electrochemically produced via acrylonitrile (AN) hydrodimerization, the most prominent organic electrochemical process.

Currently, ADN production heavily relies on fossil fuels. My GLASS paper explores producing ADN from renewable glutamic acid through the electrolysis of 3-cyanopropanoic acid (CPA), a biomass-derived compound. To identify optimal conditions for this reaction,  implemented an accelerated electrochemical approach using high-throughput screening. This method allowed us to rapidly evaluate hundreds of reaction conditions, uncovering relationships between electrolyte composition, electrochemical parameters, and reaction performance.

Our results achieved a maximum faradic efficiency of 40% toward ADN at current densities up to 500 mA/cm². These findings not only advance the sustainable production of ADN but also provide a framework for optimizing other electrochemical decarboxylation reactions. By accelerating the development of renewable feedstock transformations, this approach supports the decarbonization and electrification of the chemical industry at an industrially relevant scale.

 

            The global challenge I worked on is tackling chemical problems through a sustainability lens by reimagining how traditional chemicals can be manufactured without reliance on fossil fuels. As the current chemical industry is heavily reliant on fossil fuels for starting materials and reactions, new approaches must be found for both. This paper touches on both areas. Novel renewable starting materials can be found in biomass, green electricity can be used to power reactions through electrochemistry. This paper goes a step further by developing a novel method to accelerate research into electrochemical processes. This will aid future research by shortening time in the lab needed to determine the optimal reaction conditions for transitioning into industrial scale.