In a recently published article, researchers from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology have revealed a novel system which converts carbon dioxide into industrial grade ethylene, a commodity essential to plastics, textiles, and construction. The work demonstrates a significant step forward in green chemistry by transforming greenhouse gas emissions into valuable products.
As an additional benefit, the method creates new opportunities by reducing the costs typically associated with CO2 capture and making it profitable through key efficiencies.
"We designed and tested the system under realistic industrial conditions using captured, high-pressure CO₂," added Assistant Professor Xu Lu. "Our results show captured carbon can be valorized into a valuable product with real economic potential."
With global ethylene markets exceeding $200 billion, efficient production of the commodity is of growing interest. At the front of the interest, electrolysis proves particularly promising as it can be powered through renewable energy while operating at milder conditions than traditional capture techniques.
Described in the journal Nature Catalysis, the method developed by the researchers involved development of a novel high-pressure electrolyzer capable of converting O2 with water, into ethylene. While high pressure CO2 is the output of many traditional carbon capture systems, little work has been done to demonstrate the role of pressure when electrochemically converting CO2 into a valuable commodity. Their method is the first to demonstrate that by using industrial CO2 pressures, electrolysis performance and stability can be drastically improved.
Economic analysis of the system shows that ethylene can be produced at $1,240 per ton which is on par with current market prices. However, unlike traditional production methods, the system developed by the team uses CO2 and can be adapted to operate on renewable energy.
The team feels that further optimization of the system could reduce costs even further, creating a profitable carbon capture technique.