German researchers produce formate and hydrogen from glycerol

In Germany, researchers at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) have developed a method which gives access to the valuable raw materials formate and hydrogen from the waste product glycerol. Formates are the salts of formic acid and are widely used in the chemical industry, while hydrogen can serve, for example, as an energy carrier to power vehicles. The new method can be operated with sustainable electricity and does not produce CO2. The results of the research have been recently published by the team in the journal Advanced Energy Materials. Professor Carsten Streb of JGU’s Department of Chemistry, who supervised the study, pointed out: “The approach we have devised could make a significant contribution to the electrification of the chemical industry. This is a major driver for large-scale commercial developments to reduce industrial CO2 emissions. Processes which currently require considerable amounts of petroleum or natural gas could in future be operated using sustainable electricity.”