Advances and challenges of electrolyzers for large-scale CO2 electroreduction

Lei Yuan; Shaojuan Zeng; Xiangping Zhang; Xiaoyan Ji; Suojiang Zhang

Materials Reports: Energy (Feb 2023)

Advances and challenges of electrolyzers for large-scale CO2 electroreduction

Lei Yuan,
Shaojuan Zeng,
Xiangping Zhang,
Xiaoyan Ji,
Suojiang Zhang

Affiliations

Lei Yuan: Beijing Key Laboratory of Ionic Liquids Clean Process, State Key Laboratory of Resource and Low Carbon Process, Institute of Process Engineering, Innovation Academy for Green Manufacture Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China; College of Chemical Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China
Shaojuan Zeng: Beijing Key Laboratory of Ionic Liquids Clean Process, State Key Laboratory of Resource and Low Carbon Process, Institute of Process Engineering, Innovation Academy for Green Manufacture Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China; Longzihu New Energy Laboratory, Zhengzhou Institute of Emerging Industrial Technology, Henan University, Zhengzhou, 450000, China
Xiangping Zhang: Beijing Key Laboratory of Ionic Liquids Clean Process, State Key Laboratory of Resource and Low Carbon Process, Institute of Process Engineering, Innovation Academy for Green Manufacture Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China; Longzihu New Energy Laboratory, Zhengzhou Institute of Emerging Industrial Technology, Henan University, Zhengzhou, 450000, China
Xiaoyan Ji: Division of Energy Science/Energy Engineering, Department of Engineering Sciences and Mathematics, Luleå University of Technology, Luleå, 97187, Sweden
Suojiang Zhang: Beijing Key Laboratory of Ionic Liquids Clean Process, State Key Laboratory of Resource and Low Carbon Process, Institute of Process Engineering, Innovation Academy for Green Manufacture Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China; Longzihu New Energy Laboratory, Zhengzhou Institute of Emerging Industrial Technology, Henan University, Zhengzhou, 450000, China; Corresponding author. Beijing Key Laboratory of Ionic Liquids Clean Process, State Key Laboratory of Resource and Low Carbon Process, Institute of Process Engineering, Innovation Academy for Green Manufacture Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China.

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 3, no. 1
p. 100177

Abstract

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CO2 electroreduction (CO2ER) to high value-added chemicals is considered as a promising technology to achieve sustainable carbon neutralization. By virtue of the progressive research in recent years aiming at design and understanding of catalytic materials and electrolyte systems, the CO2ER performance (such as current density, selectivity, stability, CO2 conversion, etc.) has been continually increased. Unfortunately, there has been relatively little attention paid to the large-scale CO2 electrolyzers, which stand just as one obstacle, alongside series-parallel integration, challenging the practical application of this infant technology. In this review, the latest progress on the structures of low-temperature CO2 electrolyzers and scale-up studies was systematically overviewed. The influence of the CO2 electrolyzer configurations, such as the flow channel design, gas diffusion electrode (GDE) and ion exchange membrane (IEM), on the CO2ER performance was further discussed. The review could provide inspiration for the design of large-scale CO2 electrolyzers so as to accelerate the industrial application of CO2ER technology.

Published in Materials Reports: Energy

ISSN: 2666-9358 (Online)
Publisher: KeAi Communications Co. Ltd.
Country of publisher: China
LCC subjects: Technology: Electrical engineering. Electronics. Nuclear engineering: Materials of engineering and construction. Mechanics of materials
Website: https://www.keaipublishing.com/en/journals/materials-reports-energy/

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