Photoelectrochemical Conversion of CO2 into Fuels and Value-Added Chemicals

Summary

The use of fossil fuels and resulting CO2 emissions are exacerbating global climate change. Therefore, the research seeking decarbonisation technology to minimise CO2 emissions is significantly important and urgent. Solar, wind and hydro are major renewable energy resources helping in the decarbonisation process. Amon them, solar energy-driven system considered as a potential technology for chemicals and fuels in the presence of suitable catalysts and earth abundant resources such as water and sunlight. In particular, photoelectrocatalysis (PEC) is one of the most promising approaches since it combines the advantages of both electrocatalytic and photocatalytic processes in the single unit for solar fuels and chemicals production with high-energy efficiency under ambient conditions. But sustaining an impactful PEC CO2 conversion into more valuable feedstocks such as methanol, ethanol and ethylene requires rational design and development of efficient catalysts. 

Aim

This interdisciplinary project aims to develop series of metal-based (e.g., copper, bismuth, tin, palladium, etc) alloy or composites catalysts to selectively produce high market value fuels and chemicals feedstock such as methanol, ethanol and ethylene with high efficiency. Having alloy catalysts or separated composites could tailor the binding energy of intermediates, electronic states, and coordination environment of catalyst, which could provide more active sites and consequently increases the selectivity and catalytic activity. Furthermore, the prepared catalysts will be integrated with PEC device for solar fuels/chemicals generation in a more sustainable way using solar energy as energy input. 

Methods

This project envisages developing and demonstrating a low-cost and highly efficient catalysts for CO2 conversion. Further, by integrating prepared catalysts into suitable photoelectrodes will be demonstrated for PEC CO2 conversion. This project involves catalyst materials preparation to their characterisation and testing for PEC CO2 conversion.

Catalysts preparation: A range of synthesis facilities at RGU such as wet chemical synthesis, hydrothermal synthesis and high temperature thermal annealing synthesis methods will be used to prepare the catalyst materials. 
Catalysts characterisation: Various spectroscopic and microscopic characterisation such as FTIR, SEM, ICP-OES, XPS and Raman spectroscopy will be used to characterise the prepared catalysts.

PEC CO2 conversion testing: The PEC CO2 conversion experiment will be carried out using a photoelectrochemical set-up under simulated sunlight. The liquid products (methanol, ethanol) and gaseous product (methane, ethylene) will be analysed and quantified using gas chromatography and nuclear magnetic resonance facilities at RGU. 

Interdisciplinary nature of the project

The proposed project is interdisciplinary that bridges the fields of sustainable energy, materials science and chemical engineering, and contributes to gain fundamental knowledge and skills in various angles of catalyst for next generation fuels and chemicals production using almost zero cost CO2 and sunlight as input.

Candidate background

We are seeking a highly motivated individual passionate about sustainable energy research with strong background in Materials Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Energy Engineering or a related field.
 

Supervisors

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Research Themes

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