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Updated: Jun 16, 2026

Electrochemically and Bioelectrochemically Induced Ammonium Recovery
Published on: January 22, 2015
Green Electrosynthesis of Formamide: CN Bond Construction From Plastic Waste and Ammonia
Kesheng Liu1, Yue Li1, Hugang Zhang1
1College of Chemical and Material Engineering, Quzhou University, Quzhou, China.
Abstract:
Formamide is an essential chemical intermediate, yet its industrial synthesis remains fossil-dependent and energy-intensive. Here, we report an electrocatalytic route for directly synthesizing formamide from ammonia and ethylene glycol (EG) using a Pd/NiCo-LDH catalyst, achieving a Faradaic efficiency of 58.4% and a yield rate of 1.28 mmol cm-2 h-1. Mechanistic studies reveal that Pd and NiCo-LDH act synergistically to promote reactant adsorption and activation, yielding *CHO-CH2OH and *NH2 intermediates for CN coupling to form formamide. Furthermore, this system can be extended to the transformation of real-life polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic-derived EG, achieving formamide yield rates of 0.84-1.12 mmol cm-2 h-1 and Faradaic efficiencies of 42.7%-50.6%. This work establishes a mild and sustainable electrocatalytic route for formamide synthesis using PET waste as feedstock.
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