This mini-review summarizes current advancements in the field of electrochemical CO2 reduction (ECO2R), which would help gain insight into the future of the carbon-neutral chemical industry. Specifically, the paper reviews the latest findings on novel catalysts, which have been reported to improve selectivities and stability for CO, formate, and multi-carbon products, namely single-atom catalysts, nanostructured copper catalysts, as well as tandem setups. Next, developments in reactor design towards the implementation of gas diffusion electrodes, membrane-electrode assemblies, and pressurized flow cells are discussed for obtaining relevant current densities and stable operation of the system. Moreover, the integration of ECO2R with renewable sources of energy, along with the results of techno-economic and life cycle analysis studies, provides evidence about possible ways to achieve cost-effectiveness and carbon-negative performance of the technology. In conclusion, the comparison between the emerging industrial demonstrators and research studies highlights several key challenges, which include durability, product recovery, and scaling up the process.
Baraneedharan et al. (Mon,) studied this question.