New technology developed at the University of Waterloo could make a significant difference in the fight against climate change by affordably converting harmful carbon dioxide (CO2) into fuels and other valuable chemicals on an industrial scale, according to the institution.
Outlined in a study published in the journal “Nature Energy,” the system reportedly yields 10 times more carbon monoxide (CO), which can be used to make ethanol, methane and other desirable substances than existing, small-scale technologies now limited to testing in laboratories. Its individual cells can also be stacked to form reactors of any size, making the technology a customizable, economically viable solution that could be installed right on site, for example, at factories with CO2 emissions, according to the university.
“This is a critical bridge to connect CO2 lab technology to industrial applications,” says Dr. Zhongwei Chen, a chemical engineering professor at Waterloo, in a press release from the university. “Without it, it is very difficult for materials-based technologies to be used commercially because they are just too expensive.”
The system features electrolyzers that convert CO2 into CO using water and electricity. Electrolyzers developed by the researchers have new electrodes and a new kind of liquid-based electrolyte, which is saturated with CO2 and flowed through the devices for conversion into CO via an electrochemical reaction, according to the university. Their electrolyzers are essentially 10-centimeter by 10-centimeter cells, many times larger than existing devices, that can be stacked and configured in reactors of any size.
“This is a completely new model for a CO2 reactor,” says Chen, the Canada Research Chair in Advanced Materials for Clean Energy. “It makes the whole process economically viable for industrialization and can be customized to meet specific requirements.”
Read the entire press release here.
