A domestic research team has developed an eco-friendly chemical reaction system that runs on its own without external energy such as electricity or solar power. There are expectations that this technology could open the way to producing "propylene oxide," a raw material used across daily life from cushion materials in sofas and mattresses to fabrics and bottled-water containers, in a cleaner and cheaper way.
Research teams led by Professors Gwak Jahoon and Jang Ji-uk in the Department of Energy and Chemical Engineering at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) and by Professor Jo Seong-jun at Chonnam National University said on the 23rd that they developed a system that produces propylene oxide in a self-powered manner without electricity or solar power.
Propylene oxide is produced by oxidizing propylene and is used as a basic raw material for various plastics and synthetic fibers, including polyurethane, polyester, and glycol. The problem is that producing hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), an oxidant essential to the production process, requires a lot of energy and causes pollution.
The researchers solved this problem with a "system that makes and uses hydrogen peroxide on its own." They used the electrochemical reactions of oxygen and formaldehyde, precisely tuning the energy gap between the two reactions so that the process proceeds naturally without external electricity. The hydrogen peroxide produced in this step reacts with propylene and is immediately converted into propylene oxide.
The researchers emphasized, "Conventional hydrogen peroxide processes either emit pollutants or require separate power supply, but this system operates as a completely 'no-electricity, zero-carbon' reaction."
The researchers also redesigned the structure of the catalyst that promotes oxidation reactions to improve efficiency. The existing zeolite-based catalyst (TS-1) showed a sharp drop in reactivity in basic environments, but the newly developed catalyst operates stably under basic conditions.
As a result, the system developed by the researchers produced 1,657 micromoles (μmol) of propylene oxide over 24 hours per 1 cm² of area. This is about eight times higher productivity than existing eco-friendly processes. The process also produced hydrogen (H₂), a clean energy resource.
The economic analysis also showed clear advantages. Compared with currently commercialized processes, the production cost could be reduced by about 8% to $2.168 (about 3,000 won)/kg. Because it requires no electricity, high-temperature or high-pressure equipment, or complex pretreatment, capital and operating costs can be greatly saved, and making hydrogen peroxide on site is expected to cut transportation and storage costs.
Professor Jang said, "This system can be manufactured as a module and installed wherever needed," adding, "It will serve as an opportunity to shift from a centralized, large-plant-centered chemical production structure to a small-scale, distributed production system."
Professor Gwak emphasized, "This achievement is a case that overcomes the long-standing technical limitations of zeolite catalysts," adding, "It will be an important starting point for making the chemical industry more eco-friendly and sustainable."
The results were published on the 30th of last month in the international journal Nature Communications.
References
Nat Commun (2025), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-63828-x