We congratulate Sibylle Schwartmann on Receiving the award for the Green Chemistry Best PhD Talk at the International Conference on Renewable Resources & Biorefineries (RRB 2025) in Turku/Åbo, Finland, June 2-4, 2025, for her lecture “Electro-Oxidation of β-O-4 Model Compounds Monitored in a Chamber-Separated Cell via In Situ ATR-IR Spectroscopy”.

Sibylle presented her research on the electrochemical valorization of lignin, which holds great potential as a renewable source of aromatic chemicals but is often discarded as waste. Focusing on the cleavage of the β-O-4 bond, the most prevalent linkage in lignin, Sibylle highlighted the advantages of electrochemical methods powered by renewable energy. To better understand the complex reaction mechanisms, Sibylle employed in situ infrared (IR) spectroscopy using a novel Attenuated Total Reflection (ATR) cell design. This setup enabled both bulk and surface-sensitive measurements, allowing her to monitor the oxidation of lignin model compounds like guaiacol and 1-(4-ethoxyphenyl)-ethanol. The study revealed key intermediates and product distributions, underscoring the importance of the diffusion barrier in enhancing the accuracy of in situ IR analysis.