Motivation
CO2RED project research is a contribute to a CO2 economy where it will be possible to achieve full circle recycling of CO2 using renewable energy sources, mimicking photosynthesis, but with an intensified process and the capacity to control the type of products formed.
Electrochemical CO2 reduction (ECR) is a research technology that integrates in a single electrolyser hydrogen production and CO2 reduction to yield several products, such as, CO, formic acid, alcohols, hydrocarbons. This project focuses in achieving further breakthroughs in this process of co-electrolysis of CO2 and water to produce syngas (CO+H2).
Objectives
The general objective of CO2RED project is to produce hydrogen and CO by co-electrolysis of CO2 and water powered by renewable energy. Carbon capture and utilization technologies are being intensively investigated to produce fuels and chemical building blocks, and will contribute to change the paradigm of chemical production based on fossil resources to renewable energy reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
The specific objectives of the project are to develop highly performant cathodes and protonic exchange membranes with porous engineered structures to increase catalytic activity and decrease limitations due to mass transfer. These will comprise non-critical cost effective materials and the use of ionic liquid-based electrolytes used for the simultaneous capture and conversion of CO2. This work will be aided by computer assisted modelling.