Electrochemical reduction of CO2 to Oxalic Acid: experiments, process modeling, and economics

We performed H-cell and flow cell experiments to study the electrochemical reduction of CO2 to oxalic acid (OA) on a lead (Pb) cathode in various nonaqueous solvents. The effects of anolyte, catholyte, supporting electrolyte, temperature, water content, and cathode potential on the Faraday efficiency (FE), current density (CD), and product...

Solubilities and transport properties of CO2, Oxalic Acid, and Formic Acid in mixed solvents composed of deep Eutectic solvents, methanol, and propylene carbonate

Recently, deep eutectic solvents (DES) have been considered as possible electrolytes for the electrochemical reduction of CO2 to value-added products such as formic and oxalic acids. The applicability of pure DES as electrolytes is hindered by high viscosities. Mixtures of DES with organic solvents can be a promising way of designing superior...

Integrating CO2Capture with Electrochemical Conversion Using Amine-Based Capture Solvents as Electrolytes

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is currently considered as a waste material due to its negative impact on the environment. However, it is possible to create value from CO2 by capturing and utilizing it as a building block for commodity chemicals. Electrochemical conversion of CO2 has excellent potential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and reaching...

Overcoming Mass Transport Limitations in Electrochemical Reactors with a Pulsating Flow Electrolyzer

Electrochemical processes are a promising technology for industrial production of chemicals. One of the major drawbacks of electrochemical systems is the low mass transfer of reactants toward the active surface area of the electrode. In this paper, an approach is presented to enhance the mass transfer and increase the overall performance of the...

Advances and challenges in understanding the electrocatalytic conversion of carbon dioxide to fuels

The electrocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide is a promising approach for storing (excess) renewable electricity as chemical energy in fuels. Here, we review recent advances and challenges in the understanding of electrochemical CO2 reduction. We discuss existing models for the initial activation of CO2 on the electrocatalyst and their...

Mechanistic study of the electrosynthesis of propylene carbonate from propylene oxide and CO2 on copper electrodes

Efficient and selective electrosynthesis of propylene carbonate can be performed by the reaction of carbon dioxide with propylene oxide at copper electrodes. In this paper, we investigate this electrochemical reaction by using cyclic voltammetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and high-performance liquid chromatography in order to...

Electroreduction of CO2 to CO paired with 1,2-Propanediol Oxidation to Lactic Acid: toward an economically feasible system

In industrial electrochemical processes it is of paramount importance to achieve efficient, selective processes to produce valuable chemicals while minimizing the energy input. Although the electrochemical reduction of CO2 has received a lot of attention in the past decades, an economically feasible process has not yet been developed. Typically,...