Gas Diffusion Electrodes and Flow Cells for Photoelectrochemical CO2 Conversion into Multicarbon Alcohols

Project Information

SolarFUEL

Grant agreement ID: 839763

DOI

10.3030/839763

Project closed

EC signature date 10 April 2019

Start date 1 December 2020

End date 30 November 2022

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 212 933,76

EU contribution

€ 212 933,76

Coordinated by

THE CHANCELLOR MASTERS AND SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
United Kingdom

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SolarFUEL (Gas Diffusion Electrodes and Flow Cells for Photoelectrochemical CO2 Conversion into Multicarbon Alcohols)

Reporting period: 2020-12-01 to 2022-11-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Energy crisis and global warming are the key major issues that we are facing now-a-days. Still in 21st century, we are heavily dependent on the fossil fuels such as coal, oil, natural gas as our primary energy source. Technological advancement and human industrial activities do not only accelerate the consumption of non-renewable fossil fuels, but also result in escalated greenhouse gas (especially carbon dioxide, CO2) emission into the atmosphere which causes global warming. Thus, the conversion of CO2 into useful fuels is on demand and a step towards attaining a carbon-neutral energy cycle. Artificial photosynthesis is the key process where CO2 and water (H2O) can efficiently be converted into renewable fuels and chemicals using sunlight as an energy source. On the other hand, plastic pollution is of major environmental concern, as the majority of waste plastics accumulate in landfills or escapes into the environment. As the most recycling strategies being environmental polluting or requiring a high energy input, an attractive alternative solution to deal with plastic pollution would involve the sustainable conversion of plastic waste into industrially-relevant value-added chemicals. Sunlight is the most abundant and exploitable energy source we have. Thus, efficient use of solar energy for the CO2 and plastics conversion into sustainable fuels and chemicals would provide us an impactful solution towards these environmental issues. The major objectives of this project were:

1. Development of a photoelectrochemical reactor for simultaneous CO2 conversion and plastic reforming
2. Carbon capture and its efficient photoelectrochemical utilization
3. Solar-driven conversion of CO2 into multicarbon fuels

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

This Marie Curie project addresses a number of issues such as energy crisis, global warming, and plastic pollution by developing novel strategies and technologies.

A two compartment photoelectrochemical reactor has been developed where solar-driven simultaneous conversion of waste plastics and CO2 can be performed efficiently to form sustainable fuels and chemicals. The system is tuneable and versatile as different CO2 reduction products (fuels or chemicals) can be obtained as per our requirements by using different catalyst materials. Solar-driven plastic and CO2 conversion were performed simultaneously in two separate compartments that helped the efficient product separation.

An integrated carbon capture and conversion technology has been developed where flue gas and air captured CO2 can be converted into fuels using solar energy. The captured CO2 conversion was coupled with plastic reforming which made the process spontaneous and self-driven. The photoelectrochemical system was optimized under different reaction conditions for efficient production of solar fuels and chemicals from captured CO2.

Furthermore, a tandem photoelectrochemical device was developed that mimics the function of a natural leaf where sunlight-driven conversion of CO2 and H2O occurs to produce multicarbon fuels. The unassisted device works solely under sunlight irradiation.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The conducted research directly address the current environmental and socio-economic issues such as energy crisis, global warming, climate change, and plastic pollution. Addressing the most concerning current issues, the success of the project opens up several interdisciplinary areas of solar fuel and plastic reforming research that would be helpful to develop new technologies for sunlight-driven waste mitigation to generate value-added products. However, state-of-the-art solar fuel technologies often suffer from lack of efficient materials, product selectivity, and poor reaction kinetics. The large-scale use and efficient implementation of the devices and technologies, developed throughout the project period, would overcome the current problems and thus would be helpful for scalable solar fuel generation which is the key alternative way to become independent from the limited fossil fuels as our primary energy source. Solar energy is the most abundant and exploitable energy source we have and efficient utilization of solar energy can solve our global energy crisis in future. This project provides ideas about the efficient capture and storage of sunlight into renewable fuels and chemicals through mitigation of environmental waste such as greenhouse gas CO2 and plastics. Thus, it would help us to attain a greener world with a sustainable economy in near future.

Photoreactor for solar fuel production