Sustainable production of aromatic chemicals and green hydrogen from lignin

Aromatic chemicals are produced via many-step processes from fossil-based feedstocks, 96% of H2 is derived from fossil fuels, and green H2 is costly (4-5 €/kg-H2) mainly due to high energy demand (45 kWh/kg-H2), calling for energy-efficient and cost-effective green processes to build a sustainable society.

This project will develop a novel concept to produce bio-based aromatic chemicals and green H2 simultaneously from lignin, focusing on the anode side to address the bottleneck in lowering energy demand. The generation of the reactive oxygen species combined with in-situ conversion of lignin to produce high-value chemicals can decrease energy usage, improve process efficiency, and simplify process configuration.

The use of machine learning resolves the diversity of lignin and provides a universal strategy. We expect that the energy demand will be 50% lower compared to currently used processes with a cost decrease of H2 production by 30%.