Development and characterization of catalyst electrodes for electrochemical reduction of CO2

Electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (ERC) is a process by which carbon dioxide (CO2) is converted into valuable chemical products via chemical reactions driven by electricity. The goal of this project is to fabricate and test catalytic metal electrodes to increase the efficiency of ERC reactors converting carbon dioxide from industrial exhaust gas streams into formic acid. The catalytic metals/metal alloys will be electrochemically deposited onto porous, high surface area carbon foam electrodes and tested in the company’s ERC reactors to study their efficacy and also any catalyst degradation. These tests will help understand the catalyst degradation mechanism and could lead to development of reactivation techniques. The results from this project will thus allow Mantra Energy to develop a library of metals/ metal alloys to choose catalytic materials from and also contribute to prolonging the life of the ERC reactor electrodes, making the ERC process more profitable.

Faculty Supervisor:

John Madden

Student:

Partner:

Mantra Energy

Discipline:

Physics

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

The University of British Columbia

Program: