Coupling organic compound upgrading with hydrogen production from water electrolysis: current milestones and future outlook

Coupling hydrogen evolution with the selective electrooxidation of organic substrates offers a promising route to lower the energy penalty of green hydrogen production while simultaneously synthesizing value-added chemicals. This perspective summarizes the key scientific advances achieved under a major project launched by the National Natural Science Foundation of China in 2020, which systematically addressed the molecular-level design of bifunctional electrocatalysts, mechanistic understanding of selective oxidation pathways, and engineering of integrated electrolytic cells. Highlighted milestones include pilot-scale demonstrations of coupling hydrogen production with the electrooxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid, ethylene glycol to glycolic acid, and glycerol to potassium diformate. Techno-economic analyses confirm the cost competitiveness of several coupled processes relative to conventional thermochemical routes. The review further outlines future directions concerning reactor scale-up to megawatt levels, membrane and catalyst durability, life-cycle environmental impacts, market alignment of co-products, and supportive policy frameworks. Collectively, these advances establish a solid foundation for electrifying chemical manufacturing and accelerating the transition toward a circular carbon economy powered by renewable electricity.