Cornell scientists have discovered a potentially transformative approach to manufacturing one of the world's most widely used chemicals - hydrogen peroxide - using nothing more than sunlight, water and air.
The research published Nov. 29 in the journal Nature Communications.
"Currently, hydrogen peroxide is made through the anthraquinone process, which relies on fossil fuels, produces chemical waste and requires transport of concentrated peroxide - all of which have safety and environmental concerns," said Alireza Abbaspourrad, associate professor of Food Chemistry and Ingredient Technology in the Department of Food Science in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and corresponding author of the research.
Hydrogen peroxide is ubiquitous in both industrial and consumer settings: It bleaches paper, treats wastewater, disinfects wounds and household surfaces, and plays a key role in electronics manufacturing. Global production runs into the millions of tons each year. Yet today's process depends almost entirely on a complex method involving hazardous intermediates and large-scale central chemical plants.
According to Amin Zadehnazari, first author and a postdoctoral researcher in Abbaspourrad's lab, the new research introduces two engineered, light-responsive materials, dubbed ATP-COF-1 and ATP-COF-2, designed to absorb visible light, separate photogenerated charges and drive the conversion of water and oxygen into hydrogen peroxide.
"These materials work efficiently under visible light, are stable and reusable, and point toward a future where hydrogen peroxide could be made locally instead of in large chemical factories," Zadehnazari said.
What this means in practical terms: Rather than shipping concentrated hydrogen peroxide from a few mega-factories, industries or even local treatment facilities could one day generate the molecule onsite using solar energy. That shift could reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, cut energy usage and improve safety-particularly in remote or resource-limited settings.
"The challenge," Zadehnazari added, "is that while the existing anthraquinone process is toxic and not clean, it's cheap. We're now focusing on how to make this sustainable alternative affordable at scale."
Technically, the work builds on the design of covalent organic frameworks - crystalline, porous structures of organic molecules that can be tailored to absorb light and shuttle electrons. While previous photocatalysts have faced challenges with efficiency and stability, the new COFs demonstrate competitive performance for sunlight-driven hydrogen peroxide generation.
The implications are significant, Abbaspourrad said. Producing hydrogen peroxide onsite using sunlight could reduce dependence on large-scale logistics of transport and storage of the reactive chemical, a major safety concern. Smaller local generators might serve water treatment plants, hospitals or consumer applications without the same infrastructure or risks. It could open new markets for decentralized chemical manufacture, particularly in developing regions or in applications where smaller batches matter.
While the study is still at the laboratory scale, the researchers are now working to scale up the materials, optimize their performance and integrate the system into practical devices.
"It's an exciting start," Zadehnazari said. "This method could reshape how disinfectants and water-treatment agents are produced - making them cleaner, safer and more accessible."
But it comes at a moment when the chemical industry is under increasing pressure to decarbonize. Hydrogen peroxide plants have been islands of high energy use and risk; a drop-in alternative that uses solar energy could reshape not only hydrogen peroxide supply chains but also the logic of where and how chemicals are produced.
"If developed further," Abbaspourrad said, "this could transform how we generate disinfectants and water treatment agents in a more eco-friendly and decentralized way."
