High efficiency CO2 electrochemical reduction to syngas and hydro-carbon fuels at elevated temperature

The present dependence of human society on fossil fuels indicates the inevitable increase of energy de-mands and emissions of greenhouse gases, most notably carbon dioxide (CO2). These problems need to be resolved with sustainable energy solutions, including the idea of capturing CO2 to synthesize renewa-ble or sustainable hydrocarbon, and carbonaceous fuels. Our proposed research project focuses on the de-velopment of a novel solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) process for electrochemical reduction of CO2 to produce value-added products. The students will utilize the elementary reaction modeling technology to further optimize the current SOEC configuration and to prepared advanced electrode materials in order to achieve the goal of high efficient conversion of CO2 to syngas. The proposed research project will pro-vide strong support to the investigation on renewable energy application including methane associated high-density vehicle fuels, solar cell, as well as wind, wave or nuclear power.

Faculty Supervisor:

Jingli Luo

Student:

Yifei Sun

Partner:

/N SPRO

Discipline:

Engineering - chemical / biological

Sector:

University:

University of Alberta

Program: