Highly Efficient and Effective Process Design for High-Pressure CO 2 Photoreduction over Supported Catalysts

Matteo Tommasi, Francesco Conte, Mohammad Imteyaz Alam, Gianguido Ramis () and Ilenia Rossetti
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Matteo Tommasi: Chemical Plants and Industrial Chemistry Group, Department of Chemistry, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via C. Golgi 19, 20133 Milan, Italy
Francesco Conte: Chemical Plants and Industrial Chemistry Group, Department of Chemistry, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via C. Golgi 19, 20133 Milan, Italy
Mohammad Imteyaz Alam: INSTM Unit Milano-Università, Via C. Golgi 19, 20133 Milan, Italy
Gianguido Ramis: DICCA, Università degli Studi di Genova, Via all’Opera Pia 15A, 16145 Genoa, Italy
Ilenia Rossetti: Chemical Plants and Industrial Chemistry Group, Department of Chemistry, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via C. Golgi 19, 20133 Milan, Italy

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 13, 1-20

Abstract: The photocatalytic reduction of CO 2 into solar fuel is considered a promising approach to solving the energy crisis and mitigating the environmental pollution caused by anthropogenic CO 2 emission. Some powder photocatalysts have been demonstrated as efficient, but their drifting properties, along with difficult separation (catalyst and product), make continuous mode reaction very challenging, particularly in the liquid phase. In order to make this process commercially viable and economically more efficient, we have developed a simple and scalable method for immobilizing TiO 2 P25 over the surface of glass slides using an organic-based surfactant. Improved adhesion properties and the homogeneous dispersion of catalyst nanoparticles were achieved. A holder was designed with 3D printing technology in such a way that it can hold up to six slides that can be dipped simultaneously into the suspension or solution of desired materials for a uniform and homogeneous deposition. The resulting surfaces of the dip-coated materials (e.g., TiO 2 P25) were further modified by adding metallic nanoparticles and thoroughly characterized via XRD, DRS UV–Vis, SEM, and SEM–EDX. Photocatalytic tests have been performed for two major applications, viz., hydrogen production via the photoreforming of glucose and the photoreduction of CO 2 into different solar fuels. The latter tests were performed in a specially designed, high-pressure reactor with Ag/P25 supported catalysts, which exhibited about three times higher formic acid productivity (ca. 20 mol/kg cat h) compared to the dispersed catalyst, with enhanced stability and recoverability. It is to note that catalysts deposited on the glass slides can easily be recovered and the materials did not show any weight loss. To the best of our knowledge, the obtained formic acid productivity is highest among the published literature.

Keywords: CO 2 photoreduction; photoreforming; formic acid; photosynthesis; photocatalytic H 2 production; dip coating; coating of TiO 2 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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