From Carbon Dioxide to Chemical Products: Carbon Capture and Utilization

Angel Irabien , Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Universidad de Cantabria, Santander, Spain

Climate Change mitigation has increased the interest in the development of chemical processes for carbon dioxide utilization leading to a new strategy named Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU).

The development of CCU processes has to integrate the carbon capture, the chemical transformation of carbon dioxide into chemicals, pharmaceuticals or polymers, the renewable source of energy to supply the energy demand of the chemical processes and the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to evaluate the benefits of the innovative processes.

Taking into account the huge amount of carbon dioxide to be recovered fuels or commodities are desired chemical products to be obtained from carbon dioxide. In the last 10 years laboratory research has been performed in order to develop new capture processes based on membrane separation/concentration and innovative electro-catalytic processes to obtain formic acid/formate, alcohols or hydrocarbons.

The lecture will show a general overview of CCU processes and a deep insight into the innovative processes to benefit carbon dioxide.

References
1. Membrane modules for CO2 capture based on PVDF hollow fibers with ionic liquids immobilized. L. Gómez-Coma, A. Garea, J.C. Rouch, T. Savart, J.F. Lahitte, J.C. Remigy, A. Irabien. Journal of Membrane Science 498, 218-222, 2016.
2. Electrochemical membrane reactors for the utilisation of carbon dioxide. I. Merino, E. Álvarez-Guerra, J. Albo, A. Irabien. Chemical Engineering Journal 305, 104-120, 2016.
3. Cu2O-loaded gas diffusion electrodes for the continuous electrochemical reduction of CO2 to methanol. J. Albo, A. Irabien. Journal of Catalysis 343, 232-239, 2016.
4. Sn nanoparticles on gas diffusion electrodes: Synthesis, characterization and use for continuous CO2 electroreduction to formate A Del Castillo, M Alvarez-Guerra, J Solla-Gullón, A Sáez, V Montiel, A. Irabien. Journal of CO2 Utilization 18, 222-228, 2017.
5. Productivity and Selectivity of Gas-Phase CO2 Electroreduction to Methane at Copper Nanoparticle-Based Electrodes Merino-Garcia, I., Albo, J., Irabien, A. Energy Technology, 2017. Article in Press