Downstream of the CO₂ Electrolyzer: Assessing the Energy Intensity of Product Separation

Théo Alerte; Jonathan P. Edwards; Christine M. Gabardo; Colin P. O’Brien; Adriana Gaona; Joshua Wicks; Ana Obradović; Amitava Sarkar; Shaffiq A. Jaffer; Heather L. MacLean; David Sinton; Edward H. Sargent

doi:10.1021/acsenergylett.1c02263

journal article·2021-12-10

Downstream of the CO₂ Electrolyzer: Assessing the Energy Intensity of Product Separation

Théo Alerte, Jonathan P. Edwards, Christine M. Gabardo, Colin P. O’Brien, Adriana Gaona, Joshua Wicks, Ana Obradović, Amitava Sarkar, Shaffiq A. Jaffer, Heather L. MacLean, David Sinton, Edward H. Sargent

ACS Energy Letters· Volume 6· Issue 12

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Source abstract

Abstract

The electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2RR) to chemical feedstocks, such as ethylene (C2H4), is an attractive means to mitigate emissions and store intermittent renewable electricity. Much research has focused on improving CO2 electrolysis cell efficiency; less attention has been paid to the downstream purification of outlet product streams. In this work, we model the use of mature downstream separation technologies as part of the overall production of polymer-grade C2H4 from CO2. We find that CO2 removal is the most energy-intensive downstream separation step. We identify opportunities to reduce separation energies to ∼22 GJ/tonne C2H4 through necessary improvements in C2H4 selectivity (>57%), cathodic CO2 conversion (>80%), and CO2 crossover (0 mol CO2/mol e–). This work highlights the influence of cell performance parameters on downstream separation costs and motivates the development of new, efficient separation processes better suited to the distinctive outlet streams of CO2 electrolyzers.

Source: openalex_inverted_index · Quality: baseline

Research context

Polymers

OpenAlex topics: CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts · Carbon Dioxide Capture Technologies · Carbon dioxide utilization in catalysis

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

TotalEnergies American Services Inc., Hopkinton, Massachusetts 01748, United States

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Toronto, 10 King’s College Road, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G4, Canada

Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, 5 King’s College Road, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8, Canada

Department of Civil and Mineral Engineering, University of Toronto, 35 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A4, Canada

TotalEnergies Research & Technology Feluy, Zone Industrielle Feluy C, 7181 Seneffe, Belgium

TotalEnergies EP Research & Technology USA, LLC, Houston, Texas 77002, United States

SUNCAT Center for Interface Science and Catalysis, Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States

Funding

Total · Canada Research Chairs · Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada · Government of Ontario · Natural Resources Canada Clean Growth Program

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