Prof. Jason Lam’s Research on Kolbe Electrolysis of Bio-Oil-Derived Acetic Acid to Ethane (C₂H₆) Featured on the Cover of Energy & Environmental Science
Associate Professor Jason Lam from the School of Energy and Environment (SEE) at City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) has recently published a research paper in the RSC’s flagship journal Energy & Environmental Science (IF: 30.8). Titled "Low-Temperature Highly Selective Kolbe Electrolysis of Acetic Acid in Bio-Oil on a Stable in Situ Grown RuO₂/TiO₂ at Industrial-Level Current", the paper features Dr. Jin Yangxin, a postdoctoral fellow in Prof. Lam's group, as the first author, with Prof. Lam as the corresponding author.
Pyrolysis of biomass for bio-oil production offers a scalable and efficient method to utilize biomass for carbon-neutral biofuel and chemical production. However, the transportation and storage of bio-oil are hindered by the high concentration of acetic acid (AA) in raw bio-oil, which diminishes its chemical and fuel value through uncontrolled polymerization in an acidic pH environment. Unlike other reactive bio-oil components—such as aldehydes, alkenes, and ketones—AA exhibits exceptional chemical stability. Consequently, current bio-oil upgrading strategies primarily target these more reactive compounds through hydrotreatment and reductive dimerization, leaving the persistent AA issue largely unaddressed. This study presents a novel approach for selectively converting problematic AA into energy-dense ethane via Kolbe electrolysis.
In this research, Prof. Lam’s group developed a highly stable in situ grown ruthenium dioxide (RuO₂)/titanium dioxide (TiO₂) catalyst for Kolbe electrolysis (KBE) at high current densities, converting AA to ethane (C₂H₆) with 82% (±5%) selectivity. The RuO₂/TiO₂ catalyst sustained at least 150 hours of KBE at 100 mA cm⁻², converting 3,300 mmol of AA into 32.6 L of C₂H₆ with a faradaic efficiency of 74.1%. The selectivity for C₂H₆ remained high even in the presence of model bio-oil-relevant oxygenated phenolics and carbonyl compounds, as well as real bio-oil produced from corncob pyrolysis (88% selectivity for C₂H₆). In situ Raman spectroscopy was used to examine catalytic events at the electrode interface and determine the unique selectivity toward AA during the KBE reaction.
The article was featured on the back cover of the journal. At CityUHK, Prof. Lam focuses his research on electrocatalysis to transform renewable feedstocks and waste materials into chemicals and fuels. His work encompasses the electrocatalytic upgrading of biomass, the treatment of wastewater pollutants using advanced oxidation processes, and the electrochemical extraction of metals from electronic waste.
Article URL: https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2025/ee/d5ee01214g
Back Cover URL: https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2025/ee/d5ee90075a
