{"id":129494,"date":"2023-07-24T07:35:00","date_gmt":"2023-07-24T05:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/?p=129494"},"modified":"2023-07-19T13:17:46","modified_gmt":"2023-07-19T11:17:46","slug":"electrochemical-device-captures-carbon-dioxide-at-the-flick-of-a-switch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/electrochemical-device-captures-carbon-dioxide-at-the-flick-of-a-switch\/","title":{"rendered":"Electrochemical device captures carbon dioxide at the flick of a switch"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n

New technology developed by Rice University engineers could lower\u00a0the cost of\u00a0capturing<\/a>\u00a0carbon dioxide<\/a> from all types of emissions, a potential game-changer for both industries looking to adapt to\u00a0evolving greenhouse gas standards<\/a>\u00a0and for the emergent energy-transition economy.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to a\u00a0study<\/a>\u00a0published in\u00a0Nature<\/a>, the system from the lab of chemical and biomolecular engineer\u00a0Haotian Wang<\/a>\u00a0can directly remove carbon dioxide from sources ranging from\u00a0flue gas<\/a>\u00a0to the atmosphere by using electricity to induce a water-and-oxygen-based\u00a0electrochemical<\/a>\u00a0reaction. This technological feat could turn direct air capture from fringe industry \u23af there are only\u00a018 plants<\/a>\u00a0currently in operation worldwide \u23af into a promising front for climate change mitigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most carbon-capture systems involve a two-step process: First, high-pH<\/a>\u00a0liquids are used to separate the carbon dioxide, which is acidic, from mixed-gas streams such as\u00a0flue gas<\/a>. Next, the carbon dioxide is regenerated from the solution through heating or by injecting a low-pH liquid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOnce the carbon dioxide is trapped in these solvents, you have to regenerate it,\u201d Wang said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Peng
Peng Zhu (left) and Haotian Wang beside their carbon-capture device prototype. \u00a9<\/strong> Jeff Fitlow\/Rice University<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTraditional\u00a0amine scrubbing<\/a>\u00a0methods require temperatures of 100-200 degrees Celsius (212-392 Fahrenheit). For calcium carbonate-based processes you need temperatures as high as 900 Celsius (1652 Fahrenheit).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are literally no chemicals produced or consumed with our process. We also don\u2019t need to heat up or pressurize our device, we just need to plug it into a power outlet and it will work.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Another drawback of current carbon-capture technologies is their reliance on large-scale, centralized infrastructure. By contrast, the system developed in the\u00a0Wang lab<\/a>\u00a0is a scalable, modular, point-of-use concept that can be adapted to a variety of scenarios.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe technology can be scaled up to industrial settings \u23af power plants, chemical plants \u23af but the great thing about it is that it allows for small-scale use as well: I can even use it in my office,\u201d Wang said. \u201cWe could, for example, pull carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and continuously inject that concentrated gas into a greenhouse to stimulate plant growth. We\u2019ve heard from space technology companies interested in using the device on space stations to remove the carbon dioxide astronauts exhale.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The reactor developed by Wang and his team can continuously remove carbon dioxide from a simulated flue gas with efficiency above 98% using a relatively low electricity input.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe electricity used to power a 50-watt lightbulb for an hour will yield 10 to 25 liters of high-purity carbon dioxide,\u201d said Peng Zhu, a chemical and biomolecular engineering graduate student and lead author on the study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wang noted that the process has \u201cno carbon footprint or a very limited footprint\u201d if powered by electricity from renewable sources such as solar or wind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is great news considering that renewable electricity is becoming more and more cost-effective,\u201d Wang said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
The reactor is made up of a cathode set up to perform oxygen reduction, an oxygen evolution reaction-performing anode and a compact yet porous solid-electrolyte layer that allows efficient ion conduction. \u00a9<\/strong> by Jeff Fitlow\/Rice University<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The reactor consists of a\u00a0cathode<\/a>\u00a0set up to perform\u00a0oxygen reduction<\/a>, an\u00a0oxygen evolution reaction<\/a>-performing\u00a0anode<\/a>\u00a0and a compact yet porous solid-\u00a0electrolyte<\/a>\u00a0layer that allows efficient\u00a0ion\u00a0<\/a>conduction. An earlier version of the reactor was used to reduce carbon dioxide into\u00a0pure liquid fuels<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0reduce oxygen into pure hydrogen peroxide solutions<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPreviously, our group focused mainly on carbon dioxide utilization,\u201d Zhu said. \u201cWe worked on producing pure liquid products like\u00a0acetic acid<\/a>,\u00a0formic acid<\/a>, etc.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

According to Wang, Zhu observed during the research process that gas bubbles flowed out of the reactor\u2019s middle chamber along with the liquids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt the beginning, we didn\u2019t pay a lot of attention to this phenomenon,\u201d Wang said. \u201cHowever, Peng observed that if we applied more current there were more bubbles. That\u2019s a direct correlation, which means that something not random is happening.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The researchers realized that the alkaline interface generated during reduction reactions at the reactor\u2019s cathode side interacted with carbon dioxide molecules to form carbonate ions<\/a>. The carbonate ions migrate into the reactor\u2019s solid-electrolyte layer where they combine with protons<\/a> resulting from water oxidation<\/a> at the anode side, forming a continuous flow of high-purity carbon dioxide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe randomly discovered this phenomenon during our previous studies,\u201d Wang said. \u201cWe then tuned and optimized the technology for this new project and new application. We\u2019ve spent years of continuous work on this type of electrochemical device.<\/p>

\u201cScientific discovery often requires this patient, continuous observation and the curiosity to learn what\u2019s really going on, the choice not to neglect those phenomena that don\u2019t necessarily fit in the experimental frame.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Wang is the William Marsh Rice Trustee Chair and assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, materials science and nanoengineering, and chemistry, and has recently been promoted to associate professor with tenure, effective July 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"YouTube\"

By loading the video, you agree to YouTube’s privacy policy.
Learn more<\/a><\/p>

Load video<\/a><\/p>