High-temperature/high-pressure electrochemical COx reduction

High-temperature/high-pressure electrochemical CO_x reduction
1st supervisor and 1st promotor: Prof. Emiel Hensen
2nd supervisor and co-promotor: Assistant Prof. Jan Philipp Hofmann
Affiliation: Eindhoven University of Technology
Research theme: Storing electricity from renewable sources in chemical bonds

A key ingredient of a sustainable energy system is the ability to store excess renewable energy in the chemical bonds of dense energy carriers for later use. As renewable energy will be available mostly in the form of electricity there is a need to convert electric to chemical energy. In this project, the researchers will explore novel operating windows for the direct electrochemical reduction of CO₂ and CO in water to fuels that can be later used to generate heat and electricity.

The central idea of the project is to combine electrochemistry with thermal catalysis in order to achieve conditions that are similar to those of Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. In order to operate at elevated temperature, a high-pressure cell has been developed. The main approach is to identify suitable catalysts and conditions for electrochemical Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. Exploring the surface composition of supported metal particles under these unusual conditions will be carried out in the unique near-ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectrometer installed in Eindhoven in the framework of the MCEC program.

When realized, this technology can offer fast, scalable and efficient storage of green electricity via CO₂ waste streams (biomass conversion, air capture) or CO waste streams (chemical industry) in fuels and chemicals. It provides a way to integrate electricity as an energy source in the chemical industry starting from simple molecules.

Keywords:

• Electricity
• CO₂/CO electroreduction
• Near-ambient pressure XPS
• Catalyst development
• Electrochemical Fischer-Tropsch