SBIR Phase I: Carbon Neutral Renewable Liquid Hydrocarbon Fuel Production System

该小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目旨在提高电化学过程的转化效率，该过程使用聚合物电解质膜（PEM）电池从二氧化碳中生产液体有机燃料。 这项工作利用了广泛的大学研究，其中基础研究已经证明了CO2转化为各种有机产品，但由于阴极的质量传输差而导致法拉第效率低。 我们的研究将针对增加CO2压力，从而提高其支持阴极反应的可用性，以提高这些效率，以及修改阴极材料和结构以更好地支持电化学反应。使用新型高压PEM电池，将在大于800 psi的压力下进行电还原研究，目标是在经济上可行的电流密度（500 mA/cm 2）下实现对烃类如甲醇的90%的法拉第效率。 这将通过使用高压实验室系统的仔细实验来实现，以促进该PEM电池的操作。将制定和实施分析化学方案，以确定和量化反应产物的混合物。 从这些数据中，我们将计算通过电池的电流转化为所需液体有机产物的效率。这个项目更广泛的/商业影响是它的结果，如果成功，将解决对二氧化碳水平不断增加的关注。 许多人认为温室气体排放和全球变暖之间存在联系，推动了社会对开发碳中和燃料解决方案的兴趣。 电化学CO2还原系统正在研究中，该计划计划项目在单个电化学反应器中从CO2和电力中以具有成本竞争力的方式生产甲醇。 甲醇可用作燃料，全球市场为500万吨/年，也可用作商品化学品，全球市场约为5000万吨/年。 这项工作将更好地理解CO2电还原反应的科学，并将这项技术从实验室单电极研究转化为可以为商业产品提供基础的高压电池架构。 该系统提供了从清洁的可再生电力生产甲醇燃料的潜力，提供了将国内煤炭转化为液体燃料的手段，提供了捕获和再利用工业过程释放的二氧化碳的途径，并可用于封闭环境的生命支持。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project seeks to improve the conversion efficiency of an electrochemical process that produces liquid organic fuels from carbon dioxide using a Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) cell. The work leverages extensive university research wherein fundamental studies have demonstrated the conversion of CO2 to various organic products, but at low Faradaic efficiencies caused by poor mass transport at the cathode. Our research will target increasing the CO2 pressure, and hence its availability to support the cathode reaction, to improve these efficiencies, as well as modifying cathode materials and structures to better support the electrochemical reaction. Using a novel, high pressure PEM cell, electro-reduction studies will be conducted at pressures greater than 800 psi with a goal of achieving a Faradaic efficiency of 90% to hydrocarbons such as methanol at economically viable current densities (500 mA/cm2). This will be achieved through careful experimentation using a high-pressure laboratory system to facilitate operation of this PEM cell. Analytical chemistry protocols will be developed and implemented to identify and quantify the mix of reaction products. From these data we will calculate the efficiency at which current, passed through the cell, is converted to desirable liquid organic products.The broader/commercial impact of this project is its outcome, if success, will address the concern about the increasing level of carbon dioxide. Many believe that there is a connection between greenhouse gas emissions and global warming, driving societal interest in developing carbon-neutral fuel solutions. The electrochemical CO2 reduction system being investigated in this program projects to cost-competitively produce methanol from CO2 and electricity in a single electrochemical reactor. The methanol can be used either as a fuel with a worldwide market of 5 M tonne/yr, or as a commodity chemical, with a worldwide market of ~50 M tonne/yr. This work will develop a better understanding of the science of CO2 electro-reduction reaction, and effect a translation of this technology from laboratory single electrode studies to a high-pressure cell architecture that can provide the basis for a commercial product. This system offers the potential to produce methanol fuel from clean, renewable electricity, provides a means of transforming domestic coal to liquid fuels, offers a pathway for the capture and reuse of CO2 released from industrial processes, and can be used for closed environment life support.