Electrochemical production of sustainable hydrocarbon fuels from CO2 co-electrolysis in eutectic molten melts

Ossama Al-Juboori; Farooq Sher; Ushna Khalid; Muhammad Bilal Khan Niazi; George Zheng Chen

doi:10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c03314

Electrochemical production of sustainable hydrocarbon fuels from CO2 co-electrolysis in eutectic molten melts

Ossama Al-Juboori, Farooq Sher, Ushna Khalid, Muhammad Bilal Khan Niazi, George Zheng Chen

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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Abstract

Because of the heavy reliance of people on limited fossil fuels as energy resources, global warming has increased to severe levels because of huge CO2 emission into the atmosphere. To mitigate this situation, a green method is presented here for the conversion of CO2/H2O into sustainable hydrocarbon fuels via electrolysis in eutectic molten salts [(KCl–LiCl; 41:59 mol %), (LiOH–NaOH; 27:73 mol %), (KOH–NaOH; 50:50 mol %), and (Li2CO3–Na2CO3–K2CO3; 43.5:31.5:25 mol %)] under the conditions of 1.5–2 V and 225–475 °C depending on the molten electrolyte used. Gas chromatography (GC) and GC–mass spectrometry (MS) techniques were employed to analyze the content of gaseous products. The electrolysis results in hydrocarbon production with maximum 59.30, 87.70, and 99% Faraday efficiencies in the case of molten chloride, molten hydroxide, and molten carbonate electrolytes under the temperatures of 375, 275, and 425 °C, respectively. GC with a flame-ionization detector and a thermal conductivity detector and GC–MS analysis confirmed that H2 and CH4 were the main products in the case of molten chlorides and hydroxides at an applied voltage of 2 V, while longer-chain hydrocarbons (>C1) were obtained only in molten carbonates at 1.5 V. In this way, electricity is transformed into chemical energy. The heating values obtained from the produced hydrocarbon fuels are satisfactory for further application. The practice of using molten salts could be a promising and encouraging technology for further fundamental investigation of sustainable hydrocarbon fuel formation with more product concentrations because of their fast electrolytic conversion rate without the use of a catalyst.

Original language	English
Article number	14
Pages (from-to)	12877–12890
Number of pages	14
Journal	ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering
Volume	8
Issue number	34
Early online date	4 Aug 2020
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c03314
Publication status	Published - 31 Aug 2020

Bibliographical note

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, copyright © American Chemical Society after peer review and technical editing by the publisher. To access the final edited and published work see https://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c03314

Copyright © and Moral Rights are retained by the author(s) and/ or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This item cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder(s). The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.

Funder

The authors are grateful for the financial supports from the EPSRC (EP/J000582/1 and EP/F026412/1) and Ningbo Municipal People’s Governments (3315 Plan and 2014A35001-1).

Keywords

Sustainable fuels
Molten salts
Co-electrolysis
Hydrocarbon fuels
Electrolyte mixture
H2 production
CH and H production
sustainable fuels
electrolyte mixture
hydrocarbon fuels
coelectrolysis
molten salts

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Chemical Engineering(all)
Chemistry(all)
Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
Environmental Chemistry

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c03314

Post-PrintAccepted author manuscript, 800 KBLicence: Unspecified

Cite this

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title = "Electrochemical production of sustainable hydrocarbon fuels from CO2 co-electrolysis in eutectic molten melts",

abstract = "Because of the heavy reliance of people on limited fossil fuels as energy resources, global warming has increased to severe levels because of huge CO2 emission into the atmosphere. To mitigate this situation, a green method is presented here for the conversion of CO2/H2O into sustainable hydrocarbon fuels via electrolysis in eutectic molten salts [(KCl–LiCl; 41:59 mol %), (LiOH–NaOH; 27:73 mol %), (KOH–NaOH; 50:50 mol %), and (Li2CO3–Na2CO3–K2CO3; 43.5:31.5:25 mol %)] under the conditions of 1.5–2 V and 225–475 °C depending on the molten electrolyte used. Gas chromatography (GC) and GC–mass spectrometry (MS) techniques were employed to analyze the content of gaseous products. The electrolysis results in hydrocarbon production with maximum 59.30, 87.70, and 99% Faraday efficiencies in the case of molten chloride, molten hydroxide, and molten carbonate electrolytes under the temperatures of 375, 275, and 425 °C, respectively. GC with a flame-ionization detector and a thermal conductivity detector and GC–MS analysis confirmed that H2 and CH4 were the main products in the case of molten chlorides and hydroxides at an applied voltage of 2 V, while longer-chain hydrocarbons (>C1) were obtained only in molten carbonates at 1.5 V. In this way, electricity is transformed into chemical energy. The heating values obtained from the produced hydrocarbon fuels are satisfactory for further application. The practice of using molten salts could be a promising and encouraging technology for further fundamental investigation of sustainable hydrocarbon fuel formation with more product concentrations because of their fast electrolytic conversion rate without the use of a catalyst.",

keywords = "Sustainable fuels, Molten salts, Co-electrolysis, Hydrocarbon fuels, Electrolyte mixture, H2 production, CH and H production, sustainable fuels, electrolyte mixture, hydrocarbon fuels, coelectrolysis, molten salts",

author = "Ossama Al-Juboori and Farooq Sher and Ushna Khalid and Niazi, {Muhammad Bilal Khan} and Chen, {George Zheng}",

note = "This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, copyright {\textcopyright} American Chemical Society after peer review and technical editing by the publisher. To access the final edited and published work see https://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c03314 Copyright {\textcopyright} and Moral Rights are retained by the author(s) and/ or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This item cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder(s). The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. ",

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doi = "10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c03314",

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AU - Niazi, Muhammad Bilal Khan

AU - Chen, George Zheng

N1 - This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, copyright © American Chemical Society after peer review and technical editing by the publisher. To access the final edited and published work see https://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c03314 Copyright © and Moral Rights are retained by the author(s) and/ or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This item cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder(s). The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.

PY - 2020/8/31

Y1 - 2020/8/31

N2 - Because of the heavy reliance of people on limited fossil fuels as energy resources, global warming has increased to severe levels because of huge CO2 emission into the atmosphere. To mitigate this situation, a green method is presented here for the conversion of CO2/H2O into sustainable hydrocarbon fuels via electrolysis in eutectic molten salts [(KCl–LiCl; 41:59 mol %), (LiOH–NaOH; 27:73 mol %), (KOH–NaOH; 50:50 mol %), and (Li2CO3–Na2CO3–K2CO3; 43.5:31.5:25 mol %)] under the conditions of 1.5–2 V and 225–475 °C depending on the molten electrolyte used. Gas chromatography (GC) and GC–mass spectrometry (MS) techniques were employed to analyze the content of gaseous products. The electrolysis results in hydrocarbon production with maximum 59.30, 87.70, and 99% Faraday efficiencies in the case of molten chloride, molten hydroxide, and molten carbonate electrolytes under the temperatures of 375, 275, and 425 °C, respectively. GC with a flame-ionization detector and a thermal conductivity detector and GC–MS analysis confirmed that H2 and CH4 were the main products in the case of molten chlorides and hydroxides at an applied voltage of 2 V, while longer-chain hydrocarbons (>C1) were obtained only in molten carbonates at 1.5 V. In this way, electricity is transformed into chemical energy. The heating values obtained from the produced hydrocarbon fuels are satisfactory for further application. The practice of using molten salts could be a promising and encouraging technology for further fundamental investigation of sustainable hydrocarbon fuel formation with more product concentrations because of their fast electrolytic conversion rate without the use of a catalyst.

AB - Because of the heavy reliance of people on limited fossil fuels as energy resources, global warming has increased to severe levels because of huge CO2 emission into the atmosphere. To mitigate this situation, a green method is presented here for the conversion of CO2/H2O into sustainable hydrocarbon fuels via electrolysis in eutectic molten salts [(KCl–LiCl; 41:59 mol %), (LiOH–NaOH; 27:73 mol %), (KOH–NaOH; 50:50 mol %), and (Li2CO3–Na2CO3–K2CO3; 43.5:31.5:25 mol %)] under the conditions of 1.5–2 V and 225–475 °C depending on the molten electrolyte used. Gas chromatography (GC) and GC–mass spectrometry (MS) techniques were employed to analyze the content of gaseous products. The electrolysis results in hydrocarbon production with maximum 59.30, 87.70, and 99% Faraday efficiencies in the case of molten chloride, molten hydroxide, and molten carbonate electrolytes under the temperatures of 375, 275, and 425 °C, respectively. GC with a flame-ionization detector and a thermal conductivity detector and GC–MS analysis confirmed that H2 and CH4 were the main products in the case of molten chlorides and hydroxides at an applied voltage of 2 V, while longer-chain hydrocarbons (>C1) were obtained only in molten carbonates at 1.5 V. In this way, electricity is transformed into chemical energy. The heating values obtained from the produced hydrocarbon fuels are satisfactory for further application. The practice of using molten salts could be a promising and encouraging technology for further fundamental investigation of sustainable hydrocarbon fuel formation with more product concentrations because of their fast electrolytic conversion rate without the use of a catalyst.

KW - Sustainable fuels

KW - Molten salts

KW - Co-electrolysis

KW - Hydrocarbon fuels

KW - Electrolyte mixture

KW - H2 production

KW - CH and H production

KW - sustainable fuels

KW - electrolyte mixture

KW - hydrocarbon fuels

KW - coelectrolysis

KW - molten salts

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M3 - Article

SN - 2168-0485

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Electrochemical production of sustainable hydrocarbon fuels from CO2 co-electrolysis in eutectic molten melts

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funder

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

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