A new technique makes the conversion of_CO2 with renewable electricity cheaper and more resistant

The advance allows the catalytic converters to operate for up to 750 hours without loss of performance.

An international team of researchers led by Washington University’s McKelvey School of Engineering in St. Louis has developed a technique that reduces the costs of converting carbon dioxide (CO2) into value-added chemicals using renewable electricity by about 25%, while improving the resistance of the catalysts used in the process. The new technique prevents the deterioration of these materials when the electricity supply from renewable sources, such as solar or hydropower, is interrupted on a recurring basis. The breakthrough allows catalysts to operate for up to 750 hours without loss of performance, a result that is particularly relevant to facilitate the integration of industrial carbon capture and harvesting processes with energy systems based on renewable sources, whose generation is by nature variable and intermittent. Much of the experimental work was carried out in the laboratory of Feng Jiao, Lauren and Lee Fixel Distinguished Professor in the Department of Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering at Washington University. The research was led by Wanyu Deng, a former postdoctoral researcher in the group, and Ahryeon Lee, a PhD student in the same laboratory.

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