Project BG-RRP-2.015-002 on the topic: Aqueous Phase Reforming of bio-waste polyols for simultaneous green hydrogen and fine chemicals production (X-ASPERA) for the implementation of an investment under “Strengthening research potential by attracting and retaining talented researchers” of the Recovery and Resilience Plan
Final recipient: Institute of Organic Chemistry with Center of Phytochemistry – Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
Project Manager: Dr. Consolato Rosmini
Scientific supervisor from the base organization: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Momchil Dimitrov
Project value: BGN 73 500, funding under the Recovery and Resilience Facility
Implementation period: 31.10.2024 – 30.05.2026
Summary
The energy crisis combined with the need to reduce the anthropogenic carbon footprint to face the climate crisis, has identified hydrogen as an important energy vector and bio-industrial waste as an important feedstock to replace the fossil sources by using biomass included within the natural carbon cycle. Among the potential processes for green hydrogen production, aqueous phase reforming (APR) has the advantage of converting aqueous solutions of biomass-derived polyols such as: ethylene glycol, glycerol or polyphenols using relatively mild temperatures and pressures. The feed cleavage is crucial for obtaining a selective hydrogen production process. In this respect, various strategies can be adopted to achieve targeted control of the reaction pathways. Some of them involve manipulation of the reaction parameters, such as the initial pH while others involve modifying the intrinsic properties of the active metal phases or the catalyst support of the employed heterogeneous catalyst. The engineering of the catalyst and its intrinsic properties also makes it possible not only to selectively obtain a hydrogen enriched gas phase, but also to acquire a liquid phase with a high content of bio-derived synthons such as: glycolic acid, methanol, acetic acid, or others, with selectivity and products distribution dependent on the starting bio-feedstock. The successful implementation of the entire process, will have a threefold advantage: (I) Rational utilization of a feedstock often produced as surplus by current industrial bio-processes, thus with low or no market value. (II) Production of green hydrogen for energy use. (III) Simultaneous production of high added value bio-chemicals. The research and development of a catalyst for simultaneous production of high added value gaseous and liquid phases from biomass-derived polyols could be the link between the energy, fine chemical and waste industries.