Electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12365996-B2
Application number	US-202217684891-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 2, 2022
Priority date	Mar 4, 2021
Publication date	Jul 22, 2025
Grant date	Jul 22, 2025

Abstract

A system and method for feeding carbon dioxide to a first cathode cavity of a first electrochemical cell, electrochemically reducing the carbon dioxide at a first cathode in the first electrochemical cell to carbon monoxide (CO), flowing the CO from the first cathode cavity to a second cathode cavity of a second electrochemical cell, and forming at least one of ethanol or ethylene from the CO at a second cathode in the second electrochemical cell. The forming of the at least one of ethanol or ethylene from the CO may involve dimerization of the CO at the second cathode to form CO dimer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
feeding carbon dioxide to a first cathode cavity of a first electrochemical cell;
electrochemically reducing the carbon dioxide at a first cathode in the first electrochemical cell to carbon monoxide (CO);
flowing the CO from the first cathode cavity to a second cathode cavity of a second electrochemical cell, wherein the first electrochemical cell and the second electrochemical cell share a housing and are coupled to form an electrochemical two-cell apparatus, wherein the first cathode cavity and the second cathode cavity are separated by a partial barrier disposed in the housing and connected via a gap, thereby allowing for flow of the CO from the first cathode cavity to the second cathode cavity within the electrochemical two-cell apparatus through the gap, and wherein the gap is not part of the partial barrier; and
forming at least one of ethanol or ethylene from the CO at a second cathode in the second electrochemical cell.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming the at least one of ethanol or ethylene from the CO comprises dimerization of the CO at the second cathode to form CO dimer.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein forming the at least one of ethanol or ethylene from the CO comprises hydrogenating the CO dimer at the second cathode.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the hydrogenating comprises hydrogenating the CO dimer at the second cathode via hydrogen ions diffused through an electrolyte of the second electrochemical cell from an anode of the second electrochemical cell, the electrolyte comprising a proton conductor.

5. The method of claim 4 , comprising:
feeding hydrogen gas or water to an anode cavity of the second electrochemical cell; and
generating the hydrogen ions from the hydrogen gas or water at the anode.

6. The method of claim 3 , wherein the dimerization and the hydrogenating are performed via an electrocatalyst at the second cathode.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the electrocatalyst comprises Cu(100) catalyst that is copper having a facet cut of (100), and wherein the first electrochemical cell and the second electrochemical cell form an electrochemical two-cell apparatus.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the partial barrier comprises a metal plate.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
controlling an amount of the carbon dioxide fed to the first cathode cavity; and
discharging the at least one of ethanol or ethylene from the second cathode cavity.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
diffusing the oxygen ions through an electrolyte of the first electrochemical cell to an anode of the first electrochemical cell;
forming oxygen gas from the oxygen ions in an anode cavity of the first electrochemical cell; and
discharging the oxygen gas from the anode cavity.

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Hammad Ahmad D
• Amr Issam T

Classifications

• C25B3/03

  Acyclic or carbocyclic hydrocarbons · CPC title

• C25B9/70

  Assemblies comprising two or more cells · CPC title

• C25B3/07

  Oxygen containing compounds · CPC title

• C25B9/19

  with diaphragms · CPC title

• C25B1/23 Primary

  Carbon monoxide or syngas · CPC title