Researchers at the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS) and Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) have developed a next-generation electrochemical system capable of simultaneously producing hydrogen and value-added chemicals from waste glycerol, a byproduct of biodiesel manufacturing. The findings have been published in the energy journal Joule.

The system employs an anion exchange membrane water electrolysis (AEMWE) architecture in which glycerol undergoes oxidative conversion at the anode via the glycerol oxidation reaction (GOR), replacing the conventional and more energy-intensive oxygen evolution reaction (OER). At the cathode, hydrogen is generated. The anode catalyst is based on a copper-cobalt non-precious metal formulation with a modified surface architecture, enabling high selectivity for formate production.

Testing in a large-area 79 cm2 anion exchange membrane electrolyzer demonstrated a current density of 110 mA/cm2 at a cell voltage of 1.31 V, with approximately 96 percent selectivity for formate and high Faradaic efficiency for both hydrogen and formate output. Performance remained stable under large-scale operating conditions.

The approach reduces the energy cost of hydrogen production while simultaneously generating formate, a commercially useful chemical feedstock, from what would otherwise be a low-value waste stream. The research team argues this dual-output model improves the overall economics of green hydrogen and positions the technology as a scalable route toward carbon neutrality objectives.

"Technologies that convert bio-derived byproducts such as glycerol into value-added chemicals represent a key strategy for simultaneously advancing carbon neutrality and the hydrogen economy," said Professor Ji-Wook Jang, a collaborator on the project.

The team was led by Juchan Yang, principal researcher at KIMS, in collaboration with UNIST researchers. The electrolyzer design is intended to scale to megawatt-class applications, integrating chemical manufacturing and clean energy production in a single process.

Research Report:Commercial-scale glycerol valorization using surface-modified copper cobalt oxide catalyst in high-capacity anion exchange membrane electrolyzer