The research team led by Dongguk University Professor Lee Jae-joon and the State University of New York Professor Lim Gyu developed the source technology for the room-temperature photoelectrochemical decomposition system for lignin, a lignocellulosic waste.

Selected as the cover of Sustainable Energy & Fuels, the highest professional journal in the field of renewable energy conversion

○ A research team led by Professor Lee Jae-joon of Dongguk University and Professor Lim Gyu of State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry developed a system capable of photoelectrochemically decomposing lignin, a representative lignocellulosic waste, at room temperature by fusing a photoelectrode system based on a responsive photovoltaic cell and an organic catalyst.

○ Unlike the existing catalyst-based electrochemical decomposition method, the joint research team led by Kang Hyeong-Cheol and Kim Saerona (co-first authors) achieved conditions for selective oxidative decomposition even at room temperature by utilizing a photoelectrochemical reaction using an organic dye-based sensitized photovoltaic cell.

○ "The results of this study are expected to contribute to the use of various waste resources and the resolution of environmental pollution problems without additional energy consumption in the future by utilizing solar energy for the eco-friendly decomposition reactions of waste plastics and biomass," said Professor Lee Jae-joon.

○ The research findings were chosen as the cover study of Sustainable Energy & Fuels, a world-renowned academic publication in the energy field, and were officially released on May 21. (7, 2339-2348) (https://doi.org/10.1039/D3SE00194F)

○ This research was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea's senior researcher support project and climate change response project (Development of Organic Matter-based Solar Cell Source Technology for Urban Distributed Power Generation) as well as the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture's McIntire Stennis project.