Piezoelectric hydrogen production from aliphatic alcohols and acids in wastewater.

The growing energy demand in the context of climate change issues requires the development of green fuels such as hydrogen from water. Piezocatalytic water splitting is promising for producing green hydrogen, yet this process is often limited by low efficiency and low sustainability. Here we developed an efficient method to use wastewater directly for piezocatalytic hydrogen production. Magnetic cerium-doped bismuth ferrite was employed as the piezocatalyst to collect mechanical energy. The performance of hydrogen production was compared using different types of organic wastewaters containing alcohols, organic acids, phenols, and surfactants. Results showed a maximum hydrogen yield of 2114 μmol per g from a 2.5 mg per L alcoholic mixture in wastewater. This high yield is explained by the fact that alcohols act as sacrificial donors to suppress electron site recombination and the reverse reaction. Overall our findings represent a new strategy for piezocatalytic hydrogen production from wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]