The development of energy efficient carbon dioxide (CO2) electroreduction processes would simultaneously curb anthropogenic CO2 emissions and provide sustainable pathways for chemical and fuel generation. As compared to traditional thermal processes, such as the reverse water gas shift reaction, electrochemical processes may enable reduced plant cost through modularity and process intensification, improved safety through mild reaction conditions, and increased flexibility through tunable product generation. However, CO2 electroprocessing remains a nascent concept where a wide array of potential reactor designs exist to meet stringent targets for profitable operation. Early stage techno-economic (TE) modeling is critical to determining process feasibility and outlining metrics for success. While a few TE models are described in the literature, they primarily focus on economic viability with less attention given to the technical requirements necessary to achieve these targets. Establishing robust frameworks that connect materials- and device-level properties and overall process price is key to enabling systematic advancement through the identification of key technical hurdles, the development of design criteria for next-generation components, and ultimately, the reduction in time to commercialization. To this end, I will discuss the development, validation, and application of a detailed physics-based TE model with an overarching goal of prioritizing research needs for CO2 electrolysis.

Exploring the design-space for economically-viable electrochemical carbon-dioxide processing

2019 Spring National Meeting

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