The electrochemical conversion of pollutants provides a new and powerful pathway to upcycle these harmful substances into valuable intermediates. Electrosynthesis represents a future technology, which is characterized by its outstanding sustainability.^[1]

After carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide is the most prominent pollutant in flue gas. The direct electrochemical incorporation into more elaborated molecules has started recently.^[2] The anodic conversion of arenes and subsequent reaction with sulfur dioxide adducts yield sulfonamides,^[3] sulfonates,^[4] and sulfamides.^[5]

Another persistent pollutant from the era of highly chlorinated pesticides is hexachloro-cyclohexane. The non-suitable isomers of Lindane were piled-up in larges deposits ranging >7 Mio. t. By e-shuttle this can be converted to non-fossil benzene source.^[6]

References:

[1] D. Pollok, S. R. Waldvogel, Chem. Sci. 2020, 11, 12375–12592.

[2] S. P. Blum, K. Hofman, G. Manolikakes, S. R. Waldvogel, Chem. Commun. 2021, 57, 8236–8249.

[3] S. P. Blum, T. Karakaya, D. Schollmeyer, A. Klapars, S. R. Waldvogel, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2021, 60, 5056–5062.

[4] S. P. Blum, D. Schollmeyer, M. Turks, S. R. Waldvogel, Chem. – Eur. J. 2020, 26, 8358–8362.

[5] S. P. Blum, L. Schäffer, D. Schollmeyer, S. R. Waldvogel, Chem. Commun. 2021, 57, 4775–4778.

[6] X. Dong, J. L. Röckl, S. R. Waldvogel, B. Morandi, Science, 2021, 371, 507–514.