Electrochemical Reduction of Formaldehyde, Acetaldehyde, and Acetone to The Corresponding Alcohols Using Alcohol Dehydrogenase as an Electrocatalyst

Abstract Electrochemical reduction of formaldehyde to methanol, acetaldehyde to ethanol, and acetone to 2-propanol has been achieved using either one of the two kinds of alcohol dehydrogenases, ADH(EC1.1.1.1) and ADH(EC1.1.1.2), as an electrocatalyst. ADH(EC1.1.1.1) was effective in reducing formaldehyde at a relatively high reaction rate, while ADH(EC1.1.1.2) worked well for the reduction of acetaldehyde and acetone. In all cases the current efficiency and the production yield attained to ca. 100%.