Boosting middle hydroxyl adsorption on lignin‐derived carbon loaded MnO–Ni for glycerol conversion to dihydroxyacetone

Abstract The electrochemical conversion of glycerol into dihydroxyacetone (DHA) under mild conditions efficiently addresses glycerol surplus, enhancing its economic value. However, DHA production efficiency remains constrained by steric hindrance from secondary hydroxyl groups and sluggish glycerol electro‐oxidation reaction (GOR) kinetics in weakly alkaline conditions. Herein, lignin‐derived carbon‐supported MnO–Ni heterojunction catalyst (MnO–Ni/C) is synthesized via self‐assembly precipitation and in situ pyrolysis. The optimized MnO–Ni/C catalyst requires a low potential of 1.58 V to achieve 10 mA cm −2 , 270 mV lower than the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). It attains a 53.37% DHA selectivity with a high production rate of 864.75 mmol m −2 h −1 at 1.8 V. MnO–Ni/C heterostructures modulate the local electronic structure of Ni sites, optimizing glycerol adsorption configuration and enhancing selective adsorption of secondary hydroxyl groups and oxygen active species near the electrode surface. These synergistic effects significantly improve GOR kinetics and DHA production efficiency.