SBIR Phase I: Novel electrolyzer architectures to enable electrified chemical manufacturing at industrial scales

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛/商业影响是创造一种经济和气候友好的方法，从化学废物流等廉价原料中生产有价值的商品化学品。化学制造业占全球温室气体排放量的8%：制造电池化学品和回收锂电池产生的废物可以转化为投入化学品。这项技术的重点是开发新的电极，利用电力从含硫酸盐的废物流中产生酸和碱。这一创新将通过提高能源效率、竞争力和环境可持续性来刺激美国制造业。这项技术可以通过化学制造的电气化减少30亿吨温室气体排放，同时回收或消除有害废物的产生。此外，该技术比目前的方法更经济，增加了广泛采用的可能性。用清洁、高效的电解系统取代过时的制造工厂将为该地区提供高薪工作和税收。传统的盐电解系统依赖于涂有贵金属催化剂（如氧化铱）的钛电极，以实现高效运行。用于这些涂层的金属催化剂价格昂贵、稀有且易碎。这意味着现有盐裂解系统的资本成本很高，而它们的运行条件（例如温度、电流密度和运行效率）相当有限。这一创新将开发气体扩散电极，有助于以工业成本平价从硫酸盐废物流中电解产生酸和碱。电极独特的微观结构和材料设计最大限度地减少了贵金属催化剂的使用，从而降低了成本，延长了腐蚀环境下稳健运行的寿命，并实现了更高的工作温度（75℃）和更高的电流密度（5000 A/m2），从而降低了运行成本。在这个项目中，实验设计原则将用于确定粘合剂、催化剂和填料/支撑材料的最佳组合，以优于传统系统。最佳的化学和电化学性能将寻求高导电性，在高酸性环境中耐腐蚀的能力，以及最小的催化剂氧化溶解。新电极的耐用性和效率将首先在实验室规模（25平方厘米）进行100小时的测试，然后扩大到500平方厘米的电池进行中试规模分析。在所有研究中，将利用从工业伙伴那里获得的实际硫酸钠废物。进料流中杂质离子对电极和膜的影响将通过光谱学和电子显微镜进行跟踪。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader/commercial impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is the creation of an economical and climate-friendly method to produce valuable commodity chemicals from inexpensive feedstocks such as chemical waste streams. Chemical manufacturing accounts for 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions: waste produced from manufacturing battery chemicals and recycling Lithium batteries could be converted back into input chemicals. The technology focuses on developing new electrodes that use electricity to produce acid and base from sulfate-containing waste streams. This innovation will stimulate the US manufacturing sector by improving energy efficiency, competitiveness, and environmental sustainability. This technology could eliminate 3 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions through electrification of chemical manufacturing, while recycling or eliminating the production of a hazardous waste. Moreover, the technology is more economical than current methods, increasing the likelihood of widespread adoption. Replacing outdated manufacturing plants with clean, efficient electrolysis systems would provide high-paying jobs and tax revenue for the region.Conventional salt electrolysis systems rely on titanium electrodes coated with a precious metal catalyst (e.g., iridium oxide) to enable efficient operation. The metal catalysts used for these coatings are expensive, rare, and fragile. This means that the capital cost of existing salt splitting systems is high, while their operating conditions (e.g., temperature, current density, and operating efficiency) are fairly limited. This innovation will develop gas diffusion electrodes that can help produce acid and base electrolytically from sulfate waste streams at industrial cost parity. The unique microstructure and materials design of the electrodes minimizes the use of precious metal catalysts to lower costs, enhances lifetime for robust operation under corrosive environments, and achieves higher operating temperature (75 C) and improved current density (5000 A/m2) for lower operating costs. In this project, Design-of-Experiment principles will be used to determine the best combinations of binder, catalyst, and filler/support materials to outperform conventional systems. Optimal chemical and electrochemical properties will be sought for high electrical conductivity, ability to withstand corrosion in highly acidic environments, and minimal oxidative dissolution of catalyst. The durability and efficiency of the new electrodes will be tested first at the lab scale (25 cm2) for 100 hours and then scaled up to 500 cm2 cells for pilot-scale analysis. In all studies, actual sodium sulfate waste obtained from industrial partners will be utilized. The effects of impurities ions in the feed stream on the electrode and membranes will be tracked via spectroscopy and electron microscopy.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.