Electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) into value-added fuels powered by renewable energy is a promising “two-birds-with-one-stone” strategy to store renewable energy and reduce carbon emission. However, this approach requires the release and pressurization of CO2 from a captured solution, which is energy intensive and costly. To address this issue, we demonstrate that CO2 captured solution, HCO3-/CO32-, can be utilized as a feedstock for CO2RR. In this process, a dissolved CO2 transported from the upstream carbon capture can be directly fed into a novel design of an electrolyzer. In our study, bicarbonate solution was converted to C1-C2 products using copper-based electrocatalysts. Copper catalysts were mounted on a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) and had a contact with a cation exchange membrane (CEM). Protonation of bicarbonate occurs when H+ diffuses through the membrane following hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) in the anode, generating CO2 at cathode and membrane interface. Then, CO2 undergoes CO2RR. 1M KHCO3 solution was converted to CO2RR liquid products, acetate and formate, with good faradaic efficiencies (FEs), along with gaseous product (H2) from water electrolysis.

Copper-based rlectrocatalysts for bicarbonate conversion in a flow-type reactor

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