Electricity-driven reactors that promote thermochemical catalytic reactions via joule and induction heating

•Electrification of chemical reactor is beneficial to readily connect with renewable electricity.•Electricity-driven reactors are applied to different thermochemical catalytic reactions.•Electrification of chemical reactor is beneficial to suppress catalyst deactivation.•Electrification of chemical reactor is beneficial to enhance product selectivity. Renewable electricity has become a more accessible, flexible, and widespread form of energy that is expected to help achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. The electrification of thermochemical catalytic processes using electricity-driven reactors is a promising transitional pathway to the eco-friendly low-carbon-footprint manufacturing of industrial chemicals. Among the various electrical heating methods, Joule heating and induction heating are particularly employed in electricity-driven thermochemical catalytic reactions, such as steam methane reforming, CO2 reduction, methane pyrolysis, ammonia synthesis/decomposition, and biomass conversion. This review introduces and summarizes recent achievements (mostly over the past three years) in thermochemical catalytic reactions that occur in electricity-driven reactors. Differences in the catalytic performance of electrical and conventional heating methods are highlighted. Issues associated with electricity-driven thermochemical catalytic reactions that require further research are also discussed.