Haroon Ahmad

Dr. Haroon Ahmad


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

1Year (2026-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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10 October 2026 in Sustainable Chemistry
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Journal Article
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HAHaroon Ahmad
Haroon Ahmad
RPRenato Pelosato
Renato Pelosato
GRGrazia Isa Carla Righetti
Grazia Isa Carla Righetti
Isabella Natali SoraIsabella Natali Sora
Isabella Natali Sora
This study presents an integrated two-step synthetic protocol for the conversion of coconut and palm oils into high-value bio-based hydrocarbons, alcohols, and aldehydes. The process employs alkaline hydrolysis followed by Kolbe electrolysis. Under reflux in an EtOH-KOH system, both oils were quantitatively converted into their constituent fatty acid mixtures (C16–C18:1 for palm oil and C8–C18:1 for coconut oil) with yields up to 88% and 92%, respectively. The resulting intermediates were characterized via GC–MS. Subsequently, galvanostatic Kolbe electrolysis (100 mA) was performed using custom platinum electrodes in binary and ternary solvent systems. High substrate conversions (>86%) were obtained, and the organic product distribution reached up to 73% and 74% relative hydrocarbon selectivity for palm and coconut oil derivatives, respectively, in a ternary MeOH/EtOH/H2O system. However, operating under excess charge yielded isolated hydrocarbon mass yields of 8–20% (with up to 18% Kolbe dimers) alongside medium- and long-chain alcohols and aldehydes. This integrated protocol demonstrates a scalable and tunable route for converting vegetable oils into high-purity bio-based chemicals.