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The future of electrolytic reduction of carbon dioxide: how to convert waste gas into useful chemicals?
In the face of the challenge of global climate change, the scientific community is seeking various innovative technologies to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions released by industrial activities. Carbon dioxide electrolytic reduction (CO2RR) is an emerging technology that aims to use electricity to convert CO2 into a variety of useful chemicals, a process that could become an important component of carbon capture and utilization (CCU).
According to the latest research, CO2RR can not only produce compounds such as formic acid (HCOO-), carbon monoxide (CO), methane (CH4), ethylene (C2H4) and ethanol (C2H5OH), but also provide companies with a nearly carbon-neutral and matching paths. The development of this technology has attracted the attention of many companies, including Siemens, Dioxide Materials, Twelve and GIGKarasek, and entered the pilot stage in 2021.
“The main challenges are the relatively high cost of electricity and the fact that CO2 is often mixed with oxygen, which needs to be purified before reduction.”
The history of electrolytic reduction of carbon dioxide can be traced back to the 19th century, when zinc cathodes were used to reduce CO2 to carbon monoxide. However, research accelerated in the 1980s with the impact of the oil embargo in the 1970s. Several advanced electrolyser systems are under development that are able to capture CO2 directly from the air or use strong bases and amine-based absorbents to extract CO2 and perform a reduction process with relatively low energy consumption.
In this process, the choice of catalyst is crucial. Different metal catalysts have different selectivities for producing different products. For example, copper catalysts can produce a variety of reduced products such as methane, ethylene or ethanol, while others such as tin or bismuth prefer to produce formic acid. In industry, some chemicals, such as urea and methanol, are already being produced using carbon dioxide as a feedstock.
Potential for extracting chemicals from CO2"The composition of the catalyst is crucial to the performance of the electrolyte, and the gas diffusion electrode is considered to be the key to improving productivity."
During photosynthesis, plants are able to convert carbon dioxide into sugars, which provide feedstock for many biosynthetic pathways. However, there are still some challenges for industrial adoption. Today, many electrolytic reduction-based technologies have not yet been commercialized, especially electrolytic cells operating at room temperature, which still require further technological breakthroughs. Instead, solid oxide electrolyzers (SOECs) are able to efficiently convert CO2 to CO at elevated temperatures and are commercially available.
The appeal of electrolysis reduction technology lies in its ability to be combined with renewable energy to reduce carbon emissions and help achieve sustainable development. Some technologies can operate under ambient conditions, which means that expansion and tunability are easier than with traditional chemical plants. Currently, the ultimate goal of electrolytic reduction of carbon dioxide is to convert it into higher-value chemicals such as ethylene and its derivatives.
"Producing the right catalyst and controlling the reaction conditions will be key to advancing the application of electrolytic reduction of CO2 technology."
Although there are still certain technical challenges in the electrolytic reduction of carbon dioxide, its potential for future development cannot be ignored. As the focus on renewable energy and carbon neutrality goals intensifies, more companies are likely to begin exploring the potential of this technology, and it is expected that more products will be industrially produced using this technology in the near future.
In this trend, how should we actively participate and promote electrolytic reduction of carbon dioxide to become the core technology for the production of sustainable chemicals in the future?
