Photochemical reaction system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9758882-B2
Application number	US-201514717622-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 20, 2015
Priority date	Nov 20, 2012
Publication date	Sep 12, 2017
Grant date	Sep 12, 2017

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a photochemical reaction system comprises a CO 2 production unit, a CO 2 absorption unit, and a CO 2 reduction unit. The CO 2 reduction unit comprises a laminated body and an ion transfer pathway. The laminated body comprises an oxidation catalyst layer producing O 2 and H + by oxidizing H 2 O, a reduction catalyst layer producing carbon compounds by reducing CO 2 absorbed by the CO 2 absorption unit, and a semiconductor layer formed between the oxidation catalyst layer and the reduction catalyst layer and develops charge separation with light energy. The ion transfer pathways make ions move between the oxidation catalyst layer side and the reduction catalyst layer side.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A photochemical reaction system, comprising:
a CO 2 absorption unit absorbing CO 2 ; and
a CO 2 reduction unit comprising: a laminated body comprising: an oxidation catalyst layer producing O 2 and H + by oxidizing H 2 O; a reduction catalyst layer producing carbon compounds by reducing CO 2 absorbed by the CO 2 absorption unit; and a semiconductor layer formed between the oxidation catalyst layer and the reduction catalyst layer and developing charge separation with light energy;
wherein the laminated body has openings including a first opening penetrating the laminated body for moving ions between the oxidation catalyst layer side and the reduction catalyst layer side, and
a first planar shape size of a first area of the first opening is different from a second planar shape size of a second area of the first opening.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a CO 2 production unit producing CO 2 ,
wherein the CO 2 reduction unit makes produced carbon compounds flow out to the CO 2 production unit, and
the CO 2 production unit acquires energy by burning carbon compounds which are made to flow out from the CO 2 reduction unit.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein
the CO 2 reduction unit makes produced O 2 flow out to the CO 2 production unit, and
the CO 2 production unit uses O 2 made to flow out from the CO 2 reduction unit as a combustion improver to burn carbon compounds made to flow out from the CO 2 reduction unit.

4. The system of claim 2 , further comprising a chemical process unit chemically changing carbon compounds made to flow out from the CO 2 reduction unit and making the carbon compounds flow out to the CO 2 production unit.

5. The system of claim 4 , further comprising a buffer tank handling materials produced by the CO 2 reduction unit and changing depending on various conditions.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the CO 2 reduction unit supplies produced O 2 to a first use unit which uses O 2 .

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein
the CO 2 reduction unit makes an electrolytic solution containing a CO 2 absorbent flow out to the CO 2 absorption unit, and
the CO 2 absorption unit absorbs CO 2 produced by the CO 2 production unit using the electrolytic solution and makes the electrolytic solution which has absorbed CO 2 flow out to the CO 2 reduction unit.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein
the CO 2 reduction unit further comprises an electrolytic tank including the laminated body therein and comprising an oxidation reaction electrolytic tank disposed on the oxidation catalyst layer side and a reduction reaction electrolytic tank disposed on the reduction catalyst layer side separated by the laminated body, and
an area ratio of the openings in the laminated body is 40% or less.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein
the first opening has a tapered shape a planar shape size of which increases from a light incidence surface side toward its opposite side.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein
the openings includes a second opening penetrating the laminated body for moving ions between the oxidation catalyst layer side and the reduction catalyst layer side, the second opening adjacent to the first opening, and
the second opening has a third planar shape size different from the first planar shape size and the second planar shape size.

11. A photochemical reaction system, comprising:
a CO 2 absorption unit absorbing CO 2 ; and
a CO 2 reduction unit comprising: a laminated body comprising: an oxidation catalyst layer producing O 2 and H + by oxidizing H 2 O; a reduction catalyst layer producing carbon compounds by reducing CO 2 absorbed by the CO 2 absorption unit; and a semiconductor layer formed between the oxidation catalyst layer and the reduction catalyst layer and developing charge separation with light energy,
wherein the laminated body has openings including a first opening penetrating the laminated body for moving ions between the oxidation catalyst layer side and the reduction catalyst layer side, and
a passivation layer including a dielectric is formed on an interior surface of the first opening.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein
the passivation layer includes one of TiO 2 , ZrO 2 , Al 2 O 3 , SiO 2 , and HfO 2 .

13. The system of claim 11 further comprising a CO 2 production unit producing CO 2 ,
wherein the CO 2 reduction unit makes produced carbon compounds flow out to the CO 2 production unit, and
the CO 2 production unit acquires energy by burning carbon compounds which are made to flow out from the CO 2 reduction unit.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein
the CO 2 reduction unit makes produced O 2 flow out to the CO 2 production unit, and
the CO 2 production unit uses O 2 made to flow out from the CO 2 reduction unit as a combustion improver to burn carbon compounds made to flow out from the CO 2 reduction unit.

15. The system of claim 13 , further comprising a chemical process unit chemically changing carbon compounds made to flow out from the CO 2 reduction unit and making the carbon compounds flow out to the CO 2 production unit.

16. The system of claim 15 , further comprising a buffer tank handling materials produced by the CO 2 reduction unit and changing depending on various conditions.

17. The system of claim 11 , wherein the CO 2 reduction unit supplies produced O 2 to a first use unit which uses O 2 .

18. The system of claim 11 , wherein the CO 2 production unit supplies produced energy to a second use unit which uses energy.

19. The system of claim 11 , wherein
the CO 2 reduction unit makes an electrolytic solution containing a CO 2 absorbent flow out to the CO 2 absorption unit, and
the CO 2 absorption unit absorbs CO 2 produced by the CO 2 production unit using the electrolytic solution and makes the electrolytic solution which has absorbed CO 2 flow out to the CO 2 reduction unit.

20. The system of claim 11 , wherein
the CO 2 reduction unit further comprises an electrolytic tank including the laminated body therein and comprising an oxidation reaction electrolytic tank disposed on the oxidation catalyst layer side and a reduction reaction electrolytic tank disposed on the reduction catalyst layer side separated by the laminated body, and
an area ratio of the openings in the laminated body is 40% or less.

Assignees

• Toshiba Kk

Inventors

• Ono Akihiko
• Mikoshiba Satoshi
• Kudo Yuki
• Tamura Jun
• Kitagawa Ryota
• Huang Chingchun

Classifications

• Y02E10/548

  Amorphous silicon PV cells · CPC title

• B01J2219/0875

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• C01B32/50

  Carbon dioxide · CPC title

• C01B32/05

  Preparation or purification of carbon not covered by groups C01B32/15, C01B32/20, C01B32/25, C01B32/30 · CPC title

• B01J2219/1203

  Incoherent waves · CPC title