Assessing the economic potential of large-scale carbonate-formation-free CO<sub>2</sub> electrolysis

Jing, Xuechen; Li, Fengwang; Wang, Yuhang

doi:10.1039/d2cy00045h

Cited by 18 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…For example, pressurized CO 2 electrolysis has been proposed to allow for an easier integration into dowstream processes such as Fischer‐Tropsch syntheses at the expense of reduced electrolyte conductivity and higher cell voltages [32] . This narrow pressure range and additional problems such as CO 2 crossover, reduced long term stability, and carbonate formation are additional hurdles to commercialization of the technology [33–35] . GDE setups bypass the solubility challenge which aqueous‐based systems face through the creation of a triple‐phase boundary which allows for higher conversion rates that are more feasible for industrial applications [2,15,36] .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[32] This narrow pressure range and additional problems such as CO 2 crossover, reduced long term stability, and carbonate formation are additional hurdles to commercialization of the technology. [33][34][35] GDE setups bypass the solubility challenge which aqueous-based systems face through the creation of a triple-phase boundary which allows for higher conversion rates that are more feasible for industrial applications. [2,15,36] For this reason, a custom-built GDE flow cell system was employed to examine the catalyst selectivity for the CO 2 RR vs.…”

Section: Electrochemical Performance Of Mono-and Bi-metallic Mà Nà C ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Synergistic Electrocatalytic Syngas Production from Carbon Dioxide by Bi‐Metallic Atomically Dispersed Catalysts

et al. 2022

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The production of syngas by traditional processes such as steam methane reforming is energetically intensive and produces a large amount of CO2 emissions. In contrast, the electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) enables the carbon neutral production of syngas at ambient conditions. Among non‐precious metal catalysts, metal‐nitrogen‐carbon electrocatalysts are inexpensive and highly selective towards syngas production. This study examined the selectivity of mono‐ and bi‐metallic (M−N−C, M=Fe, Mo or FeMo) electrocatalysts towards syngas production. The ratio of the CO : H2 in the syngas was tuned by modifying the ratio of the metallic precursors in the bi‐metallic FeMo−N−C catalysts, tailoring the catalysts’ selectivity towards the CO2RR or the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The catalyst synthesis temperature(s) were considered as they influence the catalyst morphology and activity. Further, the dependence of the ratio of CO : H2 in the syngas as a function of the potential was explored for the different bi‐metallic catalysts. This work showed that by tailoring both the ratio of Fe : Mo in the bi‐metallic catalyst and optimizing the reductive potential, a CO : H2 ratio between 0.25 to 5 was achievable. This study demonstrated a novel approach in which the ratio of the product syngas composition could be tailored in a single reaction, without the need for further downstream processing to reach a desired composition.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Electrochemical Performance Of Mono-and Bi-metallic Mà Nà C ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Synergistic Electrocatalytic Syngas Production from Carbon Dioxide by Bi‐Metallic Atomically Dispersed Catalysts

et al. 2022

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“…The carbonation and crossover of CO 2 put a limit on the carbon efficiency of alkaline electrolyzers. For CO2R to CO in anion transporting cells, the maximum carbon efficiency is 50%, while for ethylene this is 25%. , This has detrimental effects on the economics of any CO2R process that is performed in alkaline conditions. − …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Carbonation in Low-Temperature CO₂ Electrolyzers: Causes, Consequences, and Solutions

Ramdin

Moultos

Broeke

et al. 2023

Ind. Eng. Chem. Res.

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Electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) to useful products is an emerging power-to-X concept, which aims to produce chemicals and fuels with renewable electricity instead of fossil fuels. Depending on the catalyst, a range of chemicals can be produced from CO2 electrolysis at industrial-scale current densities, high Faraday efficiencies, and relatively low cell voltages. One of the main challenges for up-scaling the process is related to (bi)carbonate formation (carbonation), which is a consequence of performing the reaction in alkaline media to suppress the competing hydrogen evolution reaction. The parasitic reactions of CO2 with the alkaline electrolytes result in (bi)carbonate precipitation and flooding in gas diffusion electrodes, CO2 crossover to the anode, low carbon utilization efficiencies, electrolyte carbonation, pH-drift in time, and additional cost for CO2 and electrolyte recycling. We present a critical review of the causes, consequences, and possible solutions for the carbonation effect in CO2 electrolyzers. The mechanism of (bi)carbonate crossover in different cell configurations, its effect on the overall process design, and the economics of CO2 and electrolyte recovery are presented. The aim is to provide a better understanding of the (bi)carbonate problem and guide research directions to overcome the challenges related to low-temperature CO2 electrolysis in alkaline media.

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“…Techno-economic analysis (TEA) has demonstrated that the cost of electricity and selectivity of products are key to determining the economics of eCO 2 RR products. Unfortunately, most assessments simplify the product separation process using only the cost of ordinary distillation for the liquid-phase products, ignoring the fact that the separation scheme will be different for different products. − Therefore, which kind of separation strategy and how to reduce the energy consumption should be considered. Furthermore, despite the rapid growth of industrial CO 2 electrolysis technology, whether this process truly yields negative CO 2 emissions remains a puzzle.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…15 In prior investigation, the catholyte was circulated until the product concentration reached 10 wt % and then purified by distillation for liquid products. [15][16][17]41 However, it should be noted that the separation strategy of different liquid products, such as ethanol and formic acid, is different. Hence, the cost of various products cannot be determined without reference to the distillation method.…”

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confidence: 99%

Techno-economic Analysis and Carbon Footprint Accounting for Industrial CO₂ Electrolysis Systems

et al. 2023

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Currently, CO 2 electrolysis technologies are widely investigated in the laboratory, while pilot-scale applications are absence. To promote its industrialization, herein, we establish a complete workflow of the CO 2 electrolysis system and carry out a techno-economic analysis (TEA) of four main products: formic acid, carbon monoxide, ethanol, and ethylene. In the current scenario, the levelized cost of formic acid and carbon monoxide is $0.468/kg and $0.449/kg, respectively, which rivals conventional methods (formic acid, $0.683/kg; carbon monoxide, $0.6/kg), while that of ethanol and ethylene is not yet competitive. To improve the economic feasibility of multicarbon products, improved faradaic efficiency of the solo product and reduced cell voltage and electricity prices should be achieved. In particular, the production process of the most economically efficient product formic acid has been optimized using heat-pump-assisted pressure swing distillation (HPA-PSD) to reduce its separation energy consumption. Significantly, on the basis of carbon footprint accounting, a carbon-negative effect could be achieved by coupling the formic acid production from CO 2 electrolysis with concentrating solar power.

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Assessing the economic potential of large-scale carbonate-formation-free CO₂ electrolysis

Abstract: Electrochemical CO2 reduction is a potential approach to manufacture carbon-neutral fuels and chemicals. To deploy CO2 electrolysis in the practical production of fuels and chemicals, energetically efficient electrolyzers are required....

Cited by 18 publications

References 44 publications

Synergistic Electrocatalytic Syngas Production from Carbon Dioxide by Bi‐Metallic Atomically Dispersed Catalysts

Synergistic Electrocatalytic Syngas Production from Carbon Dioxide by Bi‐Metallic Atomically Dispersed Catalysts

Carbonation in Low-Temperature CO₂ Electrolyzers: Causes, Consequences, and Solutions

Techno-economic Analysis and Carbon Footprint Accounting for Industrial CO₂ Electrolysis Systems

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Assessing the economic potential of large-scale carbonate-formation-free CO2 electrolysis

Abstract: Electrochemical CO2 reduction is a potential approach to manufacture carbon-neutral fuels and chemicals. To deploy CO2 electrolysis in the practical production of fuels and chemicals, energetically efficient electrolyzers are required....

Cited by 18 publications

References 44 publications

Synergistic Electrocatalytic Syngas Production from Carbon Dioxide by Bi‐Metallic Atomically Dispersed Catalysts

Synergistic Electrocatalytic Syngas Production from Carbon Dioxide by Bi‐Metallic Atomically Dispersed Catalysts

Carbonation in Low-Temperature CO2 Electrolyzers: Causes, Consequences, and Solutions

Techno-economic Analysis and Carbon Footprint Accounting for Industrial CO2 Electrolysis Systems

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Product

Resources

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Assessing the economic potential of large-scale carbonate-formation-free CO₂ electrolysis

Carbonation in Low-Temperature CO₂ Electrolyzers: Causes, Consequences, and Solutions

Techno-economic Analysis and Carbon Footprint Accounting for Industrial CO₂ Electrolysis Systems