Researchers discovered that combining ionic liquids electrolytes with metal hydroxides enables efficient electrochemical conversion of CO₂ to hydrocarbons
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The electrochemical conversion of captured carbon dioxide into fuels and chemicals offers a sustainable approach to reduce emissions. However, traditional methods rely on complex electrode designs. Researchers from Doshisha University demonstrated a cost-effective approach using an ionic liquid combined with metal hydroxides as an electrolyte, enabling efficient conversion even on basic metal electrodes. With this electrolyte, they successfully produced propane and ethylene directly from CO₂ and H₂O, offering a cost-effective method for emissions reduction.
Reference Saya Nozaki, Yuta Suzuki, Takuya Goto, Electrochemical synthesis of C₂ and C₃ hydrocarbons from CO₂ on an Ag electrode in DEME-BF4 containing H₂O and metal hydroxides, Electrochimica Acta, Volume 493, 2024, 144431 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electacta.2024.144431
Advancing Towards Sustainability: Turning Carbon Dioxide and Water into Acetylene
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A research team led by Yuta Suzuki, Assistant Professor at Harris Science Research Institute and Takuya Goto, Professor at the Department of Science of Environment and Mathematical Modeling, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, develop an environmentally friendly method to electrochemically synthesize an essential industrial gas. Acetylene is an essential precursor in the production of resins and plastics such as PVC, as well as a useful gas in many industrial processes. However, its synthesis requires fossil fuels, making it environmentally taxing. Now, Suzuki, Goto and their research team have developed an innovative electrochemical technique to produce acetylene using carbon dioxide and water as raw materials. This method could greatly reduce the carbon footprint of acetylene synthesis and contribute to sustainable carbon capture technologies.
The search for sustainable method to produce acetylene Acetylene is widely used in across many industries, including the production of resins and plastics like PVC. Realizing an environmentally friendly technique to synthesize it would represent a massive step towards building sustainable societies.
Reference Suzuki Y., Tanaka S., Watanabe T., Isogai T., Yamauchi A., Kishikawa Y., Goto T. New Route of Acetylene Synthesis via Electrochemical Formation of Metal Carbides from CO2 in Chloride Melts (2024) ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering, 12 (5), pp. 2110 – 2119. DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.3c08139
Image Credit: Yuta Suzuki from Doshisha University, Japan License type: CC BY
Professor Takuya Goto, the platform head, presented the research outcome in the MSILD Summer meeting of the Royal Society of Chemistry held at Churchill College, Cambridge, 8-10 August 2023.
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The Molten Salts and Ionic Liquids Discussion Group (MSILDG) the Royal Society of Chemistry held its Summer Meeting at Churchill College, Cambridge, 8-10 August 2023. International researchers participate in this three-day meeting. Professor Takuya Goto, the platform head, presented “Oxygen electrode behavior of La1-xSrxFeO3-δ electrodes in molten LiCl-KCl,” which is the research outcome with his colleague Yuta Suzuki and Seiya Tanaka (assistant professors), Shunichi Kimura (Ph.D. student), and Takashi Fukumoto (graduate) at the Department of Environmental Systems Science.
