Narrow Results

In this study, electrochemical oxidation of petroleum was performed for the first time. Since petroleum is a rich source of hydrocarbons, its oxidation and electron production resulting in the production of electricity which is green energy is much more efficient than burning it. Electrochemical oxidation of petroleum with Ni-porphyrin-modified graphite electrode in alkaline media and by cyclic voltammetry (CV), chronoamperometry (CA), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques were investigated. Due to the existence of two aqueous and organic phases, adsorption played a vital role in the process. To further confirm the accuracy of petroleum electrooxidation, electrooxidation of its compounds such as xylene and toluene was performed with the Ni-porphyrin electrode and by the mentioned techniques, which confirmed the previous data.

Some people think that carbon and sustainable development are not compatible. This textbook shows that carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the air and bio-carbon from biomass are our best allies in the energy transition, towards greater sustainability. We pose the problem of the decarbonation (or decarbonization) of our economy by looking at ways to reduce our dependence on fossil carbon (coal, petroleum, natural gas, bitumen, carbonaceous shales, lignite, peat). The urgent goal is to curb the exponential increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and hydrosphere (Figures 1.1 and 1.2) that is directly related to our consumption of fossil carbon for our energy and materials The goal of the Paris agreement (United Nations COP 21, Dec. 12, 2015) of limiting the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees (compared to the pre-industrial era, before 1800) is becoming increasingly unattainable (Intergovermental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), report of Aug. 6, 2021). On Aug. 9, 2021 Boris Johnson, prime minister of the United Kingdom, declared that coal needs to be consigned to history to limit global warming. CO₂ has an important social cost…

This chapter aims to illustrate the research that was conducted in Portugal or in collaboration with Portuguese research groups in the 2011–2022 period on the oxidative conversion of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to useful building blocks. It concerns the selective oxidation under mild catalytic oxidations of some VOCs (toluene, xylene, ethylbenzene, styrene and n-hexane), which are hazardous to human health and the environment. Both homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts are discussed.