title: Nanotechnology makes biomass electrolysis more energy efficient than water electrolysis.
abstract: The energetic convenience of electrolytic water splitting is limited by thermodynamics. Consequently, significant levels of hydrogen production can only be obtained with an electrical energy consumption exceeding 45 kWh kg(-1)H2. Electrochemical reforming allows the overcoming of such thermodynamic limitations by replacing oxygen evolution with the oxidation of biomass-derived alcohols. Here we show that the use of an original anode material consisting of palladium nanoparticles deposited on to a three-dimensional architecture of titania nanotubes allows electrical energy savings up to 26.5 kWh kg(-1)H2 as compared with proton electrolyte membrane water electrolysis. A net energy analysis shows that for bio-ethanol with energy return of the invested energy larger than 5.1 (for example, cellulose), the electrochemical reforming energy balance is advantageous over proton electrolyte membrane water electrolysis.
authors.affiliation: 1] ICCOM-CNR, via Madonna del Piano 10, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy [2] Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Trieste, Via L. Giorgieri 1, 34127 Trieste, Italy.
authors.forename: Y X
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: ICCOM-CNR, via Madonna del Piano 10, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lavacchi
authors.affiliation: ICCOM-CNR, via Madonna del Piano 10, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.affiliation: ICCOM-CNR, via Madonna del Piano 10, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bevilacqua
authors.affiliation: ICCOM-CNR, via Madonna del Piano 10, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Filippi
authors.affiliation: 1] ICCOM-CNR, via Madonna del Piano 10, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy [2] Dipartimento di Chimica, Università di Firenze, Via della Lastruccia 3, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Innocenti
authors.affiliation: ICCOM-CNR, via Madonna del Piano 10, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marchionni
authors.affiliation: ICCOM-CNR, via Madonna del Piano 10, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Oberhauser
authors.affiliation: 1] ICCOM-CNR, via Madonna del Piano 10, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy [2] Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Trieste, Via L. Giorgieri 1, 34127 Trieste, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: ICCOM-CNR, via Madonna del Piano 10, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vizza