Perspective and challenges in electrochemical approaches for reactive CO2 separations
Burcu Gurkan,
Xiao Su,
Aidan Klemm,
Yonghwan Kim,
Shaama Mallikarjun Sharada,
Andres Rodriguez-Katakura,
Kareesa J. Kron
Affiliations
Burcu Gurkan
Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA; Corresponding author
Xiao Su
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
Aidan Klemm
Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
Yonghwan Kim
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
Shaama Mallikarjun Sharada
Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA; Department of Chemistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
Andres Rodriguez-Katakura
Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
Kareesa J. Kron
Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
Summary: The desire toward decarbonization and renewable energy has sparked research interests in reactive CO2 separations, such as direct air capture that utilize electricity as opposed to conventional thermal and pressure swing processes, which are energy-intensive, cost-prohibitive, and fossil-fuel dependent. Although the electrochemical approaches in CO2 capture that support negative emissions technologies are promising in terms of modularity, smaller footprint, mild reaction conditions, and possibility to integrate into conversion processes, their practice depends on the wider availability of renewable electricity. This perspective discusses key advances made in electrolytes and electrodes with redox-active moieties that reversibly capture CO2 or facilitate its transport from a CO2-lean side to a CO2-rich side within the last decade. In support of the discovery of new heterogeneous electrode materials and electrolytes with redox carriers, the role of computational chemistry is also discussed.
