The evolving application of biomass in various sectors leads to the usage of renewable energy in future.
FREMONT, CA: The energy and cost-intensive procedures used by the chemical production sectors, which rely on toxic and expensive catalysts and harsh reaction conditions, are a major problem for people. Additionally, because of diverse product distributions that arise, it is challenging to isolate individual elements. In this regard, electrosynthesis–starting from platform chemicals produced from biomass e.g., glycerol, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, levulinic acid, and muconic acid–offers a viable alternative for promoting particular molecular changes and the direct synthesis of high-value compounds.
The renewable carbon in this abundant biomass, however, is incorporated into fibrous networks of lignin and carbohydrates, unlike the carbon in CO2, which forms a simple chemical configuration—a gas with one part carbon and two parts oxygen. As a result, the basis for producing chemicals from biomass is fundamentally different.
The chemical intermediates polyols, furans, carboxylic acids, amino acids, lignin, and others must first be separated from biomass, which includes energy crops, forestry waste, and other organic materials. That renewable carbon can then be more easily accessed, modified, and rearranged once it has been stored in a simpler form.
Thermochemically and biologically, these intermediate molecules can be transformed. The capacity to target specific chemical bonds or groups that can be challenging to obtain otherwise using electrochemistry and biomass intermediates. However, compared to CO2 utilisation, the electrochemical synthesis of biomass intermediates is still developing.
Biomass energy contribution to global renewable consumption is currently at 50 per cent, more than hydro, wind, solar, and all other renewables combined. It is predicted that, through the year 2023, biomass will continue to drive development in the usage of renewable energy owing to its expanding application in the heating and transportation sectors.
