A method of forming a hydrocarbon product and hydrogen gas comprises introducing CH.sub.4 to a positive electrode of an electrochemical cell comprising the positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a proton-conducting membrane between the positive electrode and the negative electrode. The proton-conducting membrane comprises an electrolyte material having an ionic conductivity greater than or equal to about 10.sup.?2 S/cm at one or more temperatures within a range of from about 150? C. to about 600? C. A potential difference is applied between the positive electrode and the negative electrode of the electrochemical cell to produce the hydrocarbon product and the hydrogen gas. A CH.sub.4 activation system and an electrochemical cell are also described.

A method of forming a hydrocarbon product and hydrogen gas comprises introducing CH.sub.4 to a positive electrode of an electrochemical cell comprising the positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a proton-conducting membrane between the positive electrode and the negative electrode. The proton-conducting membrane comprises an electrolyte material having an ionic conductivity greater than or equal to about 10.sup.?2 S/cm at one or more temperatures within a range of from about 150? C. to about 600? C. A potential difference is applied between the positive electrode and the negative electrode of the electrochemical cell to produce the hydrocarbon product and the hydrogen gas. A CH.sub.4 activation system and an electrochemical cell are also described.

Various embodiments disclosed relate to electrochemical isomerization of muconic acid. In various embodiments, the present invention provides a method to prepare trans,trans-muconic acid. The method can include passing current through a catalytic cathode in a reactor including an aqueous acidic solution including cis,trans-muconic acid, a supporting electrolyte, and an anode, so as to isomerize the cis,trans-muconic acid to yield a product including trans trans-muconic acid.

A carboxylic acid-containing composition, which composition contains an aldehyde, is purified in a process, which process comprises introducing the carboxylic acid-containing composition and an aqueous electrolyte into an electrolytic cell comprising electrodes; electrochemically oxidizing the aldehyde in the electrolytic cell to obtain an electrochemically oxidized product composition comprising a carboxylic acid derived from the aldehyde; and, optionally, separating carboxylic acid from the electrochemically oxidized product composition.

A method of producing graphene sheets from coke or coal powder, comprising: (a) forming an intercalated coke or coal compound by electrochemical intercalation conducted in an intercalation reactor, which contains (i) a liquid solution electrolyte comprising an intercalating agent; (ii) a working electrode that contains the powder in ionic contact with the liquid electrolyte, wherein the coke or coal powder is selected from petroleum coke, coal-derived coke, meso-phase coke, synthetic coke, leonardite, lignite coal, or natural coal mineral powder; and (iii) a counter electrode in ionic contact with the electrolyte, and wherein a current is imposed upon the working electrode and the counter electrode for effecting electrochemical intercalation of the intercalating agent into the powder; and (b) exfoliating and separating graphene planes from the intercalated coke or coal compound using an ultrasonication, thermal shock exposure, mechanical shearing treatment, or a combination thereof to produce isolated graphene sheets.

The present disclosure relates to a method for separating sugars and acids with reduced energy consumption, including a step of diffusively dialyzing a first acid hydrolysate obtained by saccharifying biomass with an acid solution, thereby preparing a second acid hydrolysate wherein the concentration of the acid solution contained in the acid hydrolysate is decreased; and a step of electrolyzing the second acid hydrolysate, thereby separating sugars from the acid solution, which is advantageous in that less energy is consumed, the separated acid solution can be recycled directly without further treatment due to high concentration and loss of sugars can be minimized.

The present disclosure relates to a method for separating sugars and acids with reduced energy consumption, including a step of diffusively dialyzing a first acid hydrolysate obtained by saccharifying biomass with an acid solution, thereby preparing a second acid hydrolysate wherein the concentration of the acid solution contained in the acid hydrolysate is decreased; and a step of electrolyzing the second acid hydrolysate, thereby separating sugars from the acid solution, which is advantageous in that less energy is consumed, the separated acid solution can be recycled directly without further treatment due to high concentration and loss of sugars can be minimized.

An electrochemical method for CC coupling a phenol and an aniline in a reaction vessel containing a suitable solvent or solvent mixture and a conductive salt to produce biaryls having both hydroxyl and amino functions, wherein the difference in the oxidation potentials E of the substrates ranges from 10 mV to 450 mV and the substrate with the highest oxidation potential is in excess, which method dispenses with multi-step syntheses using metallic reagents.

Electrochemical cells for the reductive amination of furfural-based molecules are provided. Also provided are methods of using the electrochemical cells to carry out the electrochemical reductive amination reactions. Using the cells and methods, furfural-based molecules can be converted into amines via the conversion of their formyl groups to amine groups.

The invention relates to a method, a device and a system for producing particularly a hydrogel (200) and for controlling an enzymatically catalyzed formation of a covalent bond in a solution, wherein said covalent bond is formed between a first compound (20) comprising a first moiety (21) and a second compound (22) comprising a second moiety (23), wherein the first and the second moiety (21, 23) are a substrate of an enzyme wherein said enzyme catalyzes the formation of a covalent bond between the first and the second moiety (21, 23), and wherein a voltage is applied to the solution for spatially controlling said formation, wherein said voltage is adjusted such that it induces electrolysis of said solution.