Method for Converting Carbon Dioxide (CO2) into Syngas by an Electrolysis Reaction

A method for converting carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O) into syngas, which is a mixture of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H2), comprising the following steps:

• a) providing an electrolysis device comprising an anode and a cathode, wherein said cathode comprises an electrically conductive support of which at least a part of the surface is covered by a metal deposit of zinc and of a second metal selected from copper, gold and mixtures thereof, said metal deposit comprising at least 1 wt % of one or several phases of an alloy of zinc and of the second metal;
• b) exposing the cathode of said electrolysis device to a CO2-containing aqueous catholyte solution;
• c) applying an electrical current between the anode and the cathode in order to reduce the carbon dioxide into syngas.