Selective production of CO$_2$-free hydrogen gas and formate from ethylene glycol over supported Ru catalysts

Developing energy-efficient, carbon-neutral routes to hydrogen production is critical for industrial deployment. Here, we demonstrate selective reforming of aqueous ethylene glycol (EG) to produce CO$_2$-free hydrogen and formate over ruthenium nanoparticles supported on La(OH)$_3$. Under alkaline conditions, Ru/La(OH)$_3$ delivers 2.94 mol H$_2$ per mol EG and ∼94% yield of sodium formate (SF) at 130 °C. Under bulk reaction conditions, the catalyst achieves a hydrogen productivity of 350 L(H$_2$) g(Ru)$^{−1}$ and a hydrogen production rate of 2359 mmol(H$_2$) g(Ru)$^{−1}$ h$^{−1}$ (∼58 L(H$_2$) g(Ru)$^{−1}$ h$^{−1}$) at this mild temperature. The process was also utilized for the depolymerization of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste, enabling CO$_2$-free hydrogen production alongside formate and terephthalate. Overall, these results highlight Ru/La(OH)$_3$ as a promising catalyst for sustainable hydrogen production from EG-based feedstocks.