Methods and systems for the electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide using switchable polarity materials

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020255958-A1
Application number	US-201816651738-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 28, 2018
Priority date	Oct 2, 2017
Publication date	Aug 13, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method of electrochemically reducing CO2 comprises introducing a first feed stream comprising H2O to a positive electrode of an electrolysis cell comprising the positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a proton conducting membrane. A second feed stream comprising a solvent and a non polar form of a switchable polarity material is directed into a CO2 capture apparatus. A third feed stream comprising CO2 is directed into the CO2 capture apparatus to interact with the second feed stream and form a first product stream comprising the solvent and a polar form of the switchable polarity material. The first product stream is introduced to the negative electrode. A potential difference is applied between the positive electrode and the negative electrode to convert the polar form of the switchable polarity material into CO2 and the non-polar form and to form products from the CO2 and the solvent. A CO2 treatment system is also described.

First claim

1 . A method of electrochemically reducing CO 2 , comprising:
introducing a first feed stream comprising H 2 O to a positive electrode of an electrolysis cell comprising the positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a proton-conducting membrane between the positive electrode and the negative electrode; directing a second feed stream comprising a solvent and a non-polar form of a switchable polarity material into a CO 2 capture apparatus; directing a third feed stream comprising CO 2 into the CO 2 capture apparatus to interact with the second feed stream and form a first product stream comprising the solvent and a polar form of the switchable polarity material; introducing the first product stream to the negative electrode of the electrolysis cell; and applying a potential difference between the positive electrode and the negative electrode of the electrolysis cell to generate hydrogen ions from the H 2 O that diffuse through the proton-conducting membrane to convert the polar form of the switchable polarity material into CO 2 and the non-polar form of the switchable polarity material and to form one or more products from the produced CO 2 and the solvent.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
selecting the solvent of the second feed stream to comprise H 2 O; and selecting the non-polar form of the switchable polarity material of the second feed stream to comprise one or more of a tertiary amine compound, an amidine compound, and a guanidine compound.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein directing a third feed stream comprising CO 2 into the CO 2 capture apparatus comprises to interact with the second feed stream and form a first product stream comprises reacting the CO 2 of the third feed stream with the H 2 O and the one or more of a tertiary amine compound, an amidine compound, and a guanidine compound of the second feed stream to form one or more an aminium bicarbonate, an amidinium bicarbonate, and a guanidinium bicarbonate.

4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising selecting the CO 2 capture apparatus to comprise a gas diffusion membrane apparatus.

5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising selecting the electrolysis cell to further comprise a porous buffer structure between the proton-conducting membrane and the negative electrode.

6 . The method of claim 5 , further comprising selecting the porous buffer structure to comprise a polymeric fabric.

7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
selecting the proton-conducting membrane of the electrolysis cell to comprise a suflonated tetrafluoroethylene-based flouropolymer-coplymer material; selecting the positive electrode of the electrolysis cell to comprise one or more of Pt, Ti, and an alloy thereof; and selecting the negative electrode of the electrolysis cell to comprise a metal-coated carbon material.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein selecting the negative electrode of the electrolysis cell to comprise a metal-coated carbon material comprises selecting the negative electrode to comprise reticulated vitreous carbon coated with metallic particles comprising one or more of Ag, Cu, Pb, Sn, Zn, Au.

9 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
directing a second product stream comprising the non-polar form of the switchable polarity material and the one or more products away from the electrolysis cell and into a separation apparatus; and separating a gaseous phase of the second product stream from a liquid phase of the second product stream within the separation apparatus, the liquid phase comprising the non-polar form of the switchable polarity material.

10 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising directing the separated liquid phase of the second product stream into the CO 2 capture apparatus to interact with additional CO 2 in the CO 2 capture apparatus and form an additional amount of the polar form of the switchable polarity material.

11 . A method of electrochemically reducing CO 2 , comprising:
reacting gaseous CO 2 with a mixture of at least one tertiary amine and H 2 O to form an aqueous tertiary aminium bicarbonate solution; introducing the aqueous tertiary aminium bicarbonate solution to a negative electrode of an electrolysis cell while introducing additional H 2 O to a positive electrode of the electrolysis cell, the electrolysis cell comprising the negative electrode, the positive electrode, a proton-conductive membrane between the negative electrode and the positive electrode, and a buffer structure between the negative electrode and the proton-conductive membrane; and activating the electrolysis cell to convert a portion of the aqueous tertiary aminium bicarbonate solution into a synthesis gas comprising CO and H 2 .

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein reacting gaseous CO 2 with a mixture of at least one tertiary amine and H 2 O to form at aqueous tertiary aminium bicarbonate solution comprising reacting the gaseous CO 2 with 1-cyclohexylpiperidine and liquid H 2 O to form an aqueous 1-cyclohexylpiperidinium bicarbonate solution.

13 . The method of claim 11 , wherein activating the electrolysis cell comprises applying a potential difference between the positive electrode and the negative electrode to generate hydrogen ions from the additional H 2 O that diffuse through the proton-conducting membrane and into the aqueous tertiary aminium bicarbonate solution at the negative electrode to form a multi-phase mixture comprising a gaseous phase including the synthesis gas and a liquid phase including the at least one tertiary amine.

14 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
separating the synthesis gas from a liquid material comprising 1-cyclohexylpiperidine and liquid H 2 O; and reacting the liquid material with additional CO 2 to form an additional aqueous tertiary aminium bicarbonate solution.

15 . A CO 2 treatment system, comprising:
an H 2 O source; a CO 2 source; a source of a non-polar form of a switchable polarity material; a CO 2 capture apparatus downstream of the CO 2 source and the source of the non-polar form of the switchable polarity material, the CO 2 capture apparatus configured to effectuate the formation of a polar form of the switchable polarity material from reactions between CO 2 and the non-polar form of the switchable polarity material; and an electrochemical apparatus downstream of the CO 2 capture apparatus and the H 2 O source, the electrochemical apparatus comprising:
a housing structure configured and positioned to receive an H 2 O stream from the H 2 O source into a first region of an internal chamber thereof and to receive another stream comprising the polar form of the switchable polarity material from the CO 2 capture apparatus into a second region of the internal chamber thereof; and
an electrolysis cell within the internal chamber of the housing structure, and comprising:
a positive electrode adjacent the first region of the internal chamber;
a negative electrode adjacent the second region of the internal chamber; and
a proton-conducting membrane between the positive electrode and the negative electrode.

16 . The CO 2 treatment system of claim 15 , wherein the CO 2 source comprises one or more of a hydrocarbon combustion apparatus and a biomass gasification apparatus.

17 . The CO 2 treatment system of claim 15 , wherein the source of the non-polar form of a switchable polarity material comprises a storage vessel containing one or more of a tertiary amine compound, an amidine compound, and a guanidine compound.

18 . The CO 2 treatment sys

Assignees

• Battelle Energy Alliance Llc

Inventors

• Lister Tedd E
• Dufek Eric J
• Wilson Aaron D
• Diaz Aldana Luis A
• Adhikari Birendra
• Gao Ningshengjie

Classifications

• B01D53/326 Primary

  in electrochemical cells · CPC title

• C25B13/05

  based on inorganic materials · CPC title

• C25B11/032

  Gas diffusion electrodes · CPC title

• C25B3/26

  of carbon dioxide · CPC title

• C25B9/19

  with diaphragms · CPC title