CO2 Capture and Conversion to Ethylene using a Bipolar Membrane Electrolysis System

Electrochemical CO2 reduction (CO2RR) has attracted significant interest as a pathway for achieving a carbon-neutral society. However, conventional gas-phase CO2 electrolysis configurations suffer from low CO2 utilization and expensive integration with carbon capture. Here, we demonstrate experimentally how a bipolar membrane (BPM) membrane electrode assembly (MEA) electrolysis cell can convert CO2 released from carbon capture solutions (K2CO3) directly into ethylene (C2H4). Using an optimized Cu-Ag electrocatalyst we demonstrate the conversion of CO2 to C2H4 with a 10% Faradaic efficiency (with a partial current density of 10 mA cm-2). During all tests, the BPM-MEA electrolysis cell also achieved ~100% CO2 utilization efficiency over 24 hours. Additionally, we discuss the impact of the cost of electricity and water loss play on the economic feasibility of BPM-MEA systems.