Journal of the American Chemical Society, Vol.136, No.45, 15917-15920, 2014
Hybrid Enzymatic and Organic Electrocatalytic Cascade for the Complete Oxidation of Glycerol
We demonstrate the complete electrochemical oxidation of the biofuel glycerol to CO2 using a hybrid enzymatic and small-molecule catalytic system. Combining an enzyme, oxalate oxidase, and an organic oxidation catalyst, 4-amino-TEMPO, we are able to electrochemically oxidize glycerol at a carbon electrode, while collecting up to as many as 16 electrons per molecule of fuel. Additionally, we investigate the anomalous electrocatalytic properties that allow 4-amino-TEMPO to be active under the acidic conditions that are required for oxalate oxidase to function.