Chonbuk National University professor Jihoon Han’s team (Department of Chemical Engineering) was awarded with the ‘100 Excellent Performances of National Research & Development 2018’ by the Korean Ministry of Science and ICT, and the Korea Institute of Science Technology Evaluation and Planning (KISTEP), in the field of energy and environment.

The team has been developing an electrochemical catalytic conversion technology using an unused carbon source for simultaneous production of hydrogen and high value-added chemical products, in collaboration with Dr. Hyung Ju Kim’s team of the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology.

The technique is a breakthrough that can simultaneously produce high-value added chemicals such as organic acids and aldehydes with half or less electrical energy or overvoltage compared to the conventional electrolytic solution method of producing hydrogen by decomposing water using electricity.

Han’s team also secured eco-friendly process technology to produce hydrogen and high value-added chemicals from glycerol, a by-product of biodiesel production that can replace fossil fuels.

“It is meaningful because the technique can not only save the environment but also contribute to the domestic industry.”