Electrochemical conversion of CO2 to value-added products at near ambient temperatures.

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The increasing consumption of fossil fuels in the form of oil and gas has resulted in the record breaking emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) into earth's atmosphere. The excessive atmosphric CO2 contributes the largest portion of greenhouse gases and causes severe climate changes such as global warming and other natural disasters, adversely affecting the living environment of human being. Hence, reducing CO2 emission and/or re-utilizing CO2 are imperative and have drawn research efforts worldwide. This proposed research project is our response to the above challenge. **The best way to eliminate CO2 is to convert it to useful products, rather than simple storage or burying it deep in the ground through injection. However, CO2 molecule is very stable and does not usually participate in the chemical reactions. Therefore, large amount of energy and high temperature are usually required to break CO2 molecules to chemically convert it to other products, which makes large scale industrial operation not practical.**Our proposed project, on the other hand, aims to electrochemically convert CO2 to CO (carbon monoxide) at room temperature with the merits of less energy required and easier operation handling. The product, CO, has broad range of applications in petrochemical and pharmaceutical industries. The proposed method has a number of additional advantages including easy process control by electrochemical potentials, the ability to recycle electrolyte and possible use of renewable energy sources such as solar, wind powers for an even cleaner process that would otherwise be under-utilized or even wasted. The challenge this technology currently faces is its low efficiency, i.e., the existing catalysts are not catalytic enough to accelerate the CO2 conversion process on the electrodes. Our research project will not only develop an effective electrolytic cell for CO2 reduction, but also and more importantly, develop more efficient, low-priced and durable new electrocatalysts that have high current density, high selectivity and low electrochemical barrier for converting CO2. The success of this project will enhance the competitiveness of Alberta industry in world market and benefit Canadian economy.********