ORAL

SESSION: MoltenMonPM-R3	Gaune-Escard International Symposium on Sustainable Molten Salt and Ionic Liquid Processing (5th Intl. Symp. on Sustainable Molten Salt and Ionic Liquid Processing)
Mon Oct, 23 2017	Room: Peninsula 1
Session Chairs: Sang-Eun Bae; Suhee Choi; Session Monitor: TBA

14:30: [MoltenMonPM05]
Co-Electrochemical Reduction of Carbon Dioxide and Steam to Hydrocarbons in Molten Carbonate
Ossama Al Juboori¹ ; George Chen² ; ¹The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom (Great Britain); ²University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom (Great Britain);
Paper Id: 70 [Abstract]

Using carbon or fossil fuels in power generation has not been considered a serious issue until recent justification of rising atmospheric temperature as a result of increasing CO2 emission. Technologies that can absorb CO2 from the emissions and, more substantially, convert CO2 economically into useful materials, instead of simply storing the gas underground, are urgently needed. The process and chemical engineering aspects of the conversion of CO2 and water to beneficial gases via a molten salt route have not yet been examined properly other than the chemistry of the conversion itself which was well discussed. This research investigates the feasibility of producing hydrocarbons by the electrochemical reduction of CO2 and water in the ternary molten carbonates Li2CO3-Na2CO3-K2CO3 of (43.5-31.5-25 mol %) at atmospheric pressure. Various cathodic gases were formed during the electrolysis and the products were analysed using gas chromatography. The effect of molten salt temperature, and applied voltage were also examined. As a significant outcome, olefin hydrocarbon species (between C2 and C5) in addition to methane gas were found rather than parafins by 0.2 % of the whole cathodic gas produced during electrolysis at an applied voltage of 1.5 V and 4300C. The hydrocarbon products were associated with additional amounts of H2 and CO. During the electrolysis at 500 oC and the same applied voltage, the cathodic gasses collected and analyzed showed higher content of products between C5 and C8 (olefins and parafins) despite the decrease of the other hydrocarbon products in the range of (C2 -C4). The effects of CO2/H2O ratio of feed gas on the electrolysis were also discussed in this research. Because the electrolysis was also carried out without the use of any catalyst, the results are promising and encourage further fundamental investigation and technological development.