Co2 purification and reduction systems
AssigneeTwelve Benefit Corporation
InventorsZiyang Huo, Yueshen Wu
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A CO2 purifier and a CO2 electrolyzer may be integrated in a single electrochemical unit or cell having a bipolar plate separating the purifier and electrolyzer. In some embodiments, the electrochemical cell has a single positive electrical terminal attached to an anode of the CO2 electrolyzer or the CO2 purifier, and a single negative electrical terminal attached to a cathode of the CO2 electrolyzer or the CO2 purifier. In such implementations a bipolar plate may serve as a counter-electrode for both the CO2 electrolyzer and the CO2 purifier.
Claims40
A system comprising:
- (a) a first outer electrode of a first polarity;
- (b) a CO2 purifier comprising:
- (i) an inlet for receiving impure CO2,
- (ii) the first outer electrode configured to apply an electrical potential of a first polarity,
- (iii) a medium that selectively captures and/or removes CO2 under the influence of a positive electrical potential or a negative electrical potential, and
- (iv) an outlet for removing purified CO2;
- (c) a second outer electrode configured to apply an electrical potential of a second polarity, opposite the first polarity;
- (d) a CO2 electrolyzer configured to receive the purified CO2 from the CO2 purifier, the CO2 electrolyzer comprising:
- (i) an inlet for receiving the purified CO2,
- (ii) the second outer electrode, and
- (iii) a cathode catalyst configured to electrochemically reduce CO2 to produce a carbon containing product;
- and
- (e) a bipolar plate separating the CO2 purifier from the CO2 electrolyzer and arranged to provide (i) a first bipolar electrode surface of the second polarity for the CO2 purifier, and (ii) a second bipolar electrode surface of the first polarity for the CO2 electrolyzer.
A method of electrochemically reducing CO2 to a carbon containing product using a system comprising (a) a first outer electrode of a first polarity, (b) a second outer electrode of a second polarity, opposite the first polarity, (c) a CO2 purifier having the first outer electrode as a CO2 purifier anode or cathode, (d) a CO2 electrolyzer having the second outer electrode as a CO2 electrolyzer anode or cathode, and (e) a bipolar plate separating the CO2 purifier from the CO2 electrolyzer and arranged to provide (i) a first bipolar electrode surface of the second polarity for the CO2 purifier, and (ii) a second bipolar electrode surface of the first polarity for the CO2 electrolyzer, the method comprising:
- receiving impure CO2 in the CO2 purifier;
- selectively capturing and/or removing CO2 under the influence of a positive electrical field or a negative electrical field in the CO2 purifier;
- providing purified CO2 from the CO2 purifier to the CO2 electrolyzer;
- and
- electrochemically reducing the purified CO2 in the CO2 electrolyzer to produce a carbon containing product.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.