Continuous carbon capture in an electrochemical solid-electrolyte reactor

Peng Zhu, Zhen-Yu Wu, Ahmad Elgazzar, Changxin Dong, Tae-Ung Wi, Feng-Yang Chen, Yang Xia, Yuge Feng, Mohsen Shakouri, Jung Yoon (Timothy) Kim, Zhiwei Fang, T. Alan Hatton and Haotian Wang ()
Additional contact information
Peng Zhu: Rice University
Zhen-Yu Wu: Rice University
Ahmad Elgazzar: Rice University
Changxin Dong: Rice University
Tae-Ung Wi: Rice University
Feng-Yang Chen: Rice University
Yang Xia: Rice University
Yuge Feng: Rice University
Mohsen Shakouri: University of Saskatchewan
Jung Yoon (Timothy) Kim: Rice University
Zhiwei Fang: Rice University
T. Alan Hatton: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Haotian Wang: Rice University

Nature, 2023, vol. 618, issue 7967, 959-966

Abstract: Abstract Electrochemical carbon-capture technologies, with renewable electricity as the energy input, are promising for carbon management but still suffer from low capture rates, oxygen sensitivity or system complexity1–6. Here we demonstrate a continuous electrochemical carbon-capture design by coupling oxygen/water (O2/H2O) redox couple with a modular solid-electrolyte reactor7. By performing oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) redox electrolysis, our device can efficiently absorb dilute carbon dioxide (CO2) molecules at the high-alkaline cathode–membrane interface to form carbonate ions, followed by a neutralization process through the proton flux from the anode to continuously output a high-purity (>99%) CO2 stream from the middle solid-electrolyte layer. No chemical inputs were needed nor side products generated during the whole carbon absorption/release process. High carbon-capture rates (440 mA cm−2, 0.137 mmolCO2 min−1 cm−2 or 86.7 kgCO2 day−1 m−2), high Faradaic efficiencies (>90% based on carbonate), high carbon-removal efficiency (>98%) in simulated flue gas and low energy consumption (starting from about 150 kJ per molCO2) were demonstrated in our carbon-capture solid-electrolyte reactor, suggesting promising practical applications.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06060-1

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