Brazilian petrochemical giant announced it is partnering with US-based Northerwestern University to develop convert carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted by industrial operations.
The project focuses on co-electrolysis of CO2 and water (H2O) to make a mixture of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H2), known as synthesis gas or syngas for short. Syngas can be transformed into a wide range of liquid fuels and polymers. In typical electrochemical devices, in addition to converting CO2, water is converted into oxygen, which does not have a high commercial value. Using co-electrolysis technology will result in great system productivity with applications of commercial interest.
The research is led by Professor Ted Sargent and Dr. Ke Xie from Northwestern University, experts in the field of electrocatalysis for CO2 conversion. The project is currently in the development phase and aims to create a versatile, modular system with high energy efficiency. In addition to efficiency gains, the approach is expected to allow for the transformation of a larger volume of CO2, making a significant contribution to reducing greenhouse gases. The laboratory-scale development stage, which began a year ago, is expected to make significant progress over the three years provided for in the cooperation agreement, with the potential for scaling up and industrial applications once the technology has been validated.
Some of the technological hurdles the team will face to make co-electrolysis commercially feasible include insufficient current, current efficiency, and durability. These issues depend strongly on the nature of surface reactions at the electrode, yet little is known about their mechanisms, kinetics, and sensitivity to different electrodes.
"This partnership with Braskem is very motivating, as it allows the team to explore new concepts that accelerate the electrification of chemical production," said Dr. Ke Xie, an assistant research professor at Northwestern University who is leading the initiative.
Braskem is also partnering with the University of São Paulo in Brazil to convert CO2 into other chemical products, including olefins and alcohols, that can then be used to produce polyolefins. That partnership focuses on studying innovative routes for CO2 conversion through both catalytic and electrocatalytic processes