Waste Fruit Shells-Derived Porous Carbon for Highly Efficient Electrochemical Oxidation of HMF to FDCA

Jing Lu; Yang Xu; Yu Zhang; Chenxi Cao; Ang Ma; Nuo Liu; Nan Wang; Yi Zhang; Dongxu Jiao; Siqi Li; Song Liu

doi:10.1007/s12209-026-00475-3

Transactions of Tianjin University ›› 2026, Vol. 32 ›› Issue (3) :297 -305. DOI: 10.1007/s12209-026-00475-3

Research Article

research-article

Waste Fruit Shells-Derived Porous Carbon for Highly Efficient Electrochemical Oxidation of HMF to FDCA

Jing Lu ¹^,²
, Yang Xu ¹^,²
, Yu Zhang ¹^,²
, Chenxi Cao ¹^,²
, Ang Ma ¹^,²
, Nuo Liu ¹^,²
, Nan Wang ¹^,²
, Yi Zhang ¹^,²
, Dongxu Jiao ¹^,²^,^a
, Siqi Li ¹^,²^,^b
, Song Liu ¹^,²^,^c

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¹State Key Laboratory of Woody Oil Resources Utilization, Northeast Forestry University, 150040, Harbin, China

²College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Resource Utilization, Northeast Forestry University, 150040, Harbin, China

^a dxjiao_0518@163.com

^b lisiqi@nefu.edu.cn

^c carlosliusong@nefu.edu.cn

Dongxu Jiao

Dongxu Jiao is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Resource Utilization, Northeast Forestry University. He received his BS and MS from Harbin Normal University under the supervision of Prof. Jingxiang Zhao, and his PhD in Engineering from Jilin University under the supervision of Prof. Xiaoqiang Cui. His research focuses on computational chemistry, catalytic mechanisms, and the theoretical design of nanomaterials for energy conversion.

Siqi Li

Siqi Li is an Associate Professor and PhD Supervisor at the College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Resource Utilization, Northeast Forestry University, and is recognized as a High-Level Talent of Heilongjiang Province. She received her PhD from Jilin University in 2019 and subsequently joined Northeast Forestry University as an introduced talent. Her research focuses on the controlled synthesis of inorganic/semiconductor nanomaterials, gas-sensing materials and devices, intelligent sensing, and flexible wearable electronics.

Song Liu

Song Liu is a Professor at the College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Resource Utilization, Northeast Forestry University. He received his BS in Chemistry from the Tang Aoqing Honors Program at Jilin University, and his PhD from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, under the supervision of Prof. Tao Zhang and Prof. Yanqiang Huang. After a postdoctoral stint with Prof. Bin Li at Northeast Forestry University, he joined the faculty as a Professor in 2020. His research interests encompass biomass conversion, catalytic transformation of cellulose-derived molecules, and mechanistic studies in catalysis.

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Abstract

The development of sustainable, cost-effective catalytic systems for the electrochemical oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) is pivotal for advancing biomass-based economies and valorizing bio-based platform chemicals. Against the backdrop of intensifying focus on biomass resource recycling, the conversion of lignocellulosic agricultural residues, represented by waste fruit shells, into high-performance catalysts has emerged as a promising strategy, yet existing technologies are hampered by cumbersome processes, excessive energy consumption, and suboptimal catalytic efficiency, limiting scalable industrial application. Herein, we reported the fabrication of high-performance metal-free electrocatalysts using abundant waste fruit shells as the sole precursor, which were specifically designed for the electrochemical selective oxidation of HMF to FDCA. The as-prepared waste fruit shell-derived porous carbon catalyst exhibited exceptional catalytic performance: it achieved a FDCA yield of 96.48% and a Faraday efficiency (FE) of 93.01%, along with robust stability over multiple consecutive reaction cycles, demonstrating its potential for long-term practical application. This work couples agricultural waste upcycling with efficient FDCA synthesis, offering a low-cost green solution and advancing biomass-based circular economy.

Keywords

Waste fruit shells-derived porous carbon / Electrochemical 5-hydroxymethyl furfural oxidation / High-value resource utilization / Metal-free electrocatalyst

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Jing Lu, Yang Xu, Yu Zhang, Chenxi Cao, Ang Ma, Nuo Liu, Nan Wang, Yi Zhang, Dongxu Jiao, Siqi Li, Song Liu. Waste Fruit Shells-Derived Porous Carbon for Highly Efficient Electrochemical Oxidation of HMF to FDCA. Transactions of Tianjin University, 2026, 32 (3) : 297-305 DOI:10.1007/s12209-026-00475-3

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