Method for producing dihydroxyacetone by electrochemical oxidation of glycerol and coupling hydrogen production
The method for preparing dihydroxyacetone by electrochemical oxidation of glycerol coupled with hydrogen production utilizes the complexation effect of glycerol alkaline solution and borate, combined with an H-type electrolyzer, to solve the problems of insufficient selectivity and poor catalyst stability in existing technologies, and achieves highly selective synthesis of dihydroxyacetone and high-purity hydrogen.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202610412924.5
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2026-03-31
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-30
AI Technical Summary
In existing technologies, the oxidation of glycerol to dihydroxyacetone has insufficient selectivity, the catalysts are expensive and have poor stability, and it is difficult to effectively suppress carbon-carbon bond breaking in an alkaline environment, resulting in the generation of low-value byproducts.
Using a glycerol alkaline solution as the electrolyte, dihydroxyacetone is prepared by selective oxidation at the anode via an electrochemical method, and high-purity hydrogen is generated at the cathode via hydrogen evolution reaction. The complexation of borate and glycerol forms a cyclic borate chelate, and the steric hindrance effect guides the selective oxidation, inhibiting carbon-carbon bond breaking. Combined with the physical separation of the reaction in the H-type electrolytic cell, the generation of by-products is avoided.
This method achieves highly selective synthesis of dihydroxyacetone while generating high-purity hydrogen, improving overall Faraday efficiency, reducing the risk of catalyst poisoning, and enhancing reaction stability and economy.