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Production of formate from CO₂ electrochemical reduction and its application in energy storage

Lookup NU author(s): Hang Xiang, Dr Henriette Christensen, Emeritus Professor Keith Scott, Dr Shahid Rasul, Professor Eileen Yu

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This is the authors' accepted manuscript of an article that has been published in its final definitive form by Royal Society of Chemistry, 2020.

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Abstract

Production of liquid fuels by electrochemical CO₂ reduction (eCO₂R) is an attractive option for energy storage in the form of renewable energy. This study focuses on efficient formate production using an eCO₂R system and its application in generating power using a direct formate fuel cell (DFFC). A carbon black supported SnO₂ catalyst was used for the eCO₂R in a gas diffusion reactor using a 1.0 M KOH electrolyte. An average faradaic efficiency of 80% for formate production was achieved over a wide electrode potential range (−0.63 to −1.43 V vs. RHE). Since the overall current density varied linearly with the overpotential, the rate of formate production could be easily controlled by varying the applied potential. At a current density of 251 mA cm⁻² (−1.43 V), a high formate production rate was achieved at 3 mg min⁻¹ cm_WE ⁻² resulting in 0.5 M formate being produced within 1 hour. This formate solution was directly used as the fuel for a DFFC, without pre-treatment. The fuel cell consisted of a Pd–CeO₂/C anode and FeCo/C cathode and produced a peak power density of 92 mW cm⁻². A closed loop of “electricity–formate–electricity” has been realized in this study, signifying the promising future of sustainable CO₂ conversion to liquid fuels for CO₂ fixation as well as for energy storage.

Publication metadata

Author(s): Xiang H, Miller H, Bellini M, Christensen H, Scott K, Rasul S, Yu EH

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Sustainable Energy and Fuels

Year: 2020

Volume: 4

Issue: 1

Pages: 277-284

Print publication date: 01/01/2020

Online publication date: 09/12/2019

Acceptance date: 19/10/2019

Date deposited: 10/12/2019

ISSN (electronic): 2398-4902

Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry

URL: https://doi.org/10.1039/C9SE00625G

DOI: 10.1039/C9SE00625G

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