2024-01-02 13:23:17
With this electrolysis cell, the researchers demonstrated that homogeneous catalysts can be used for the conversion of CO2. – RUB, MARQUARD
MADRID, 2 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) –
German scientists have pushed the boundaries of technology to establish an efficient solution for CO2 conversion that transforms this climate-damaging gas into a useful resource.
Research groups around the world are developing technologies to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) into raw materials for industrial applications. Most experiments under relevant industrial conditions have been carried out with heterogeneous electrocatalysts, i.e. catalysts that are in a different chemical phase than the reactants.
However, homogeneous catalysts, which are in the same phase as the reactants, are generally considered more efficient and selective. To date, there has been no facility where homogeneous catalysts could be tested under industrial conditions.
A team led by Kevinjeorjios Pellumbi and Professor Ulf-Peter Apfel from Ruhr University Bochum and the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT has managed to close this gap. They publish results in ‘Cell Reports Physical Science’.
The team explored the conversion of CO2 using electrocatalysis. In the process, a voltage source supplies electrical energy, which is fed to the reaction system through electrodes and controls the chemical conversions at the electrodes. A catalyst facilitates the reaction; In homogeneous electrocatalysis, the catalyst is usually a dissolved metal complex. In the so-called gas diffusion electrode, the starting material CO2 flows through the electrode, where catalysts convert it into carbon monoxide. The latter, in turn, is a common starting material in the chemical industry.
The researchers integrated the metal complex catalysts into the electrode surface without chemically bonding them. They showed that their system could convert CO2 efficiently: it generated current densities of more than 300 milliamps per square centimeter. Furthermore, the system remained stable for more than 100 hours without showing signs of deterioration.
All this means that, in general, homogeneous catalysts can be used for electrolysis cells. “However, they require a specific electrode composition,” underlines Ulf-Peter Apfel. More specifically, the electrodes must allow direct gas conversion without solvents so that the catalyst does not leach from the electrode surface. Contrary to what is usually described in specialized literature, No support material is needed to chemically couple the catalyst to the electrode surface.
“Our findings open the possibility of testing and integrating high-performance and easily variable homogeneous electrocatalysts in application scenarios for electrochemical processes,” concludes Apfel. it’s a statement.
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#catalyst #system #CO2 #conversion