Surface tailored electrodes for efficient and stable conversion of CO2 to formate/formic acid value-added product

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Climate change is considered to be one of the greatest environmental threats of our times. The atmospheric concentration of green house gases, including CO2, has increased steadily over the past century and is associated to the increase of the planetary temperature. Human activities produce an annual excess of 3.9% CO2 to the natural carbon cycle. This raise in CO2 emission, which is not balanced by CO2 fixation, has resulted in an increase of atmospheric CO2 during the last 200 years from approximately 270 ppm to 385 ppm. CO2 is an abundant and renewable carbon source, but a large input of energy is required to transform it into other chemicals. This can be achieved by supplying physical energy in the form of electricity, and the electrochemical reduction of CO2 (ERC) offers several advantages. For example, the process is controlled by the electrode potential and the electrochemical modules are compact and easy to scale-up. Among the various chemicals that can be formed during ERC, formate/formic acid require little energy (~ 2500 kWh/ton) compared to other alternatives like methane (~ 40000 kWh/ton). Also, it sells at a much higher price ($1,200/ton) compared to methane ($200-$300/ton). In this project, in partnership with Mantra Energy (Burnaby, BC), we will seek new electrode materials with high electrocatalytic activity (higher current density, lower overpotential, higher current efficiency) and stability over time in an effort to improve the overall performances of the ERC process for the conversion of CO2 to formate/formic acid. The development of new electrocatalysts is done in conjunction with in-situ analysis of the electrode surface for detailed studies of the mechanisms responsible for ERC and de-activation of electrodes. Finally, 8 HQPs (1 Research Officer, 4 PhD students and three undergraduate students) will be involved in this project.