EL-Cat

The gradual shift within the chemical industry to use electrical power instead of fossil fuels is an important facet of the “Power-to-X” approach. Electricity can be used as energy input to drive reactions, or, as the next step, enable novel electrocatalytic conversions at mild conditions. A particularly promising route is the electrocatalytic conversion of CO2 to CO (carbon monoxide). CO is an important intermediate for the production of petrochemical products and plastics. Its annual production is about 75 Mio t. The core idea of the EL-Cat project is to investigate and enable a radically novel CO2 reduction technology based on anion exchange membrane, using only abundant and cheap materials due to soft operating conditions in term of temperature, pressure and pH but very high selectivity (> 95%) and current density (250mA/cm²). In comparison to existing CO production processes, this new route promises lower CO2 emissions and can help to reach CO2 reduction targets. The core concept of the EL-Cat project consists of the world’s first platinum group metal (PGM) free CO2-electrolyzer with high selectivity (>97%) at moderate temperatures (50-60°C) in a aqueous (non-acidic) electrolyte surrounding (pH~7) using anion exchange membranes (AEM). Using cheap raw materials for the catalyst (Fe/Co doped porphyrin) and membrane (fluoro-free) will reduce the overall CAPEX and, in turn, the CO production costs which are essential for an industrial application. Each project partner contributes their specific expertise to the core work packages of the project:The University Paris Diderot will synthesize the novel catalysts and perform the characterization in lab scale environment. The Papiertechnische Stiftung (PTS) will produce novel paper-graphite-based highly porous electrodes and characterize them. Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ) will assemble cells and stacks based on catalyst and electrodes from the project partners in combination with membrane materials. Air Liquide (AL) will buy, test and operate a new test unit to qualify the cells and stacks, apply test protocols to assess performance and longevity and perform post mortem analysis of the cells. The interaction between the partners requires also short-term assignments, e.g. when the test unit will operate, cross-check of analytical methods for post-mortem analyses of spent material etc. The expected outcome of the project is the design base for a electrocatalytic CO2-to-CO process to be realized in a demonstration unit to be operated within an existing CO plant. As with any new process, the deployment will gradually increase over the years (assuming success all the way).Using renewable energy to drive this reaction will improve the competitiveness of the chemical industry by reducing CO2 emissions of their chemical supply chain.