Researchers have developed a groundbreaking method to hydrogenate nitrogen-containing aromatic compounds using an anion-exchange membrane (AEM) electrolyzer. This innovative approach not only reduces the environmental impact of chemical manufacturing but also holds great potential for industrial-scale applications in the pharmaceutical and fine chemical industries. Aromatic compounds and nitrogen-containing chemicals are essential building blocks for a wide range of products we use daily.
A Greener Approach: Sustainable Chemical Manufacturing
Chemical manufacturing is associated with a great deal of energy use and emissions on a global scale, contributing significantly to the world’s output of carbon dioxide. In response, researchers have acknowledged the imperative to develop sustainable approaches for generating key intermediates in common, widely applied molecules.
The researchers hope to cut the larger industry’s environmental footprint through a greater reliance on renewable energy sources and new methods of manufacturing, according to Singh. This benchmark is achieved by, for instance, anitrobenzene hydrogenation to cyclohexylamine using a new membrane-based approach via anion-exchange membrane (AEM) electrolyzer.
AEM Electrolyzer: The Game Changer in Hydrogenation
However, the hydrogenation of nitrogen-containing ring amines (like pyridine and piperidine) has conventionally been accomplished with H2 gas from steam reforming of methane — a high-energy consuming process that is a major contributor to worldwide CO2 emission. The cutting-edge new approach through an AEM electrolyzer changes the game.
The AEM electrolyzer can easily hydrogenate a variety of pyridines and other nitrogen-containing aromatics, under both mild temperature and pressure conditions, in the absence of acid additives. This is done by separating water into its atomic pieces — hydrogen and oxygen, and using the hydrogen to attach with the cyclic compounds. Its broad applicability in pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals enhances the versatility of this approach, thus emerging as a green sustainable route for chemistry.
Greening Chemical Manufacturing = Lower Carbon Footprint
The uptake of the AEM electrolyzer-based hydrogenation technology could enable large carbon savings for the chemicals industry. This approach completely eradicates the need for fossil energies that is common in traditional hydrogenation routes, as energy for this process comes solely from water and electricity (in its all-zero-emission form).
Furthermore, the large-scale batch production of these materials (100 g scale) provided an efficiency of 78% which clearly showcases its scalability and as well as industrial applicability. If this technology continues to be accepted, the potential impact could lead to a substantial decrease in global carbon emissions that have been paired with chemicals production (e.g. >1% of total annual carbon emissions), potentially guiding the future of the industry and reducing the overall carbon footprint from members of its supply chain as well as being helpful for our environment
