Energy Savings in the Conversion of CO2 to Fuels using an Electrolytic Device

Abstract We describe the realization of an electrolyzer for the electroreduction of CO 2 to useful hydrocarbons and carboxylates such as CH 4 , C 2 H 4 , and HCOO ‐ . The device uses a molecular copper phthalocyanine‐based cathode, an anion exchange membrane, and a nanostructured Pd@Ti anode. The key advantage of this device is the exploitation of anodic alcohol oxidation instead of water oxidation. The lower operating cell potential due to the presence of ethanol leads to a net reduction in energy consumption, from 130 kWh to 77 kWh (per kg of hydrocarbon product mixture), in comparison to the cell operating with oxygen evolution.