Challenges for Applications of the Electrochemical Promotion of Catalysis

The phenomenon of the electrochemical promotion of catalysis (EPOC) has been exemplified at lab scale in numerous catalytic reactions, on several types of catalysts and solid electrolyte supports, as extensively described in previous chapters of this book. However, contrary to chemical promotion, there has been no commercial application of electrochemical promotion. This chapter discusses potential catalytic and electrocatalytic processes that could be appropriate for a potential EPOC commercial implementation, as well as for further required technological developments. The first part describes already explored promising reactions such as ethylene epoxidation, NOx storage/reduction and H2 production and storage. The second section deals with the innovative concept of EPOC applied to alcohol-assisted water electrolysis. The prospective final part discusses catalytic processes which are still in an early EPOC development stage but could attract increasing interest given their great relevance at industrial level. This is the case, for example, of selective CO2 hydrogenation reactions and propylene epoxidation. We are discussing the state-of-the-art operation conditions for each catalytic process and the pioneering EPOC works which stand for a good starting point for future research efforts.