General Synthetic Strategy to Ordered Mesoporous Carbon Catalysts with Single-Atom Metal Sites for E
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The Li-CO 2 battery has great potential for both CO 2 utilization and energy storage, but its practical application is limited by low energy efficiency and short cycle life. Efficient cathode catalysts are needed to address this issue. Herein, this work reports on molecularly dispersed electrocatalysts (MDEs) of nickel phthalocyanine (NiPc) anchored on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as the cathode catalyst for Li-CO 2 batteries. The dispersed NiPc molecules efficiently catalyze CO 2 reduction, while the conductive and porous CNTs networks facilitate CO 2 evolution reaction, leading to enhanced discharging and charging performance compared to the NiPc and CNTs mixture. Octa-cyano substitution on NiPc (NiPc-CN) further enhances the interaction between the molecule and CNTs, resulting in better cycling stability. The Li-CO 2 battery with the NiPc-CN MDE cathode shows a high discharge voltage of 2.72 V and a small discharging–charging potential gap of 1.4 V, and can work stably for over 120 cycles. The reversibility of the cathode is confirmed by experimental characterizations. Finally, this work lays a foundation for the development of molecular catalysts for Li-CO 2 battery cathodes.
In geological CO 2 storage operations, wellbore deformations and leakage pathways formations can occur around injection and abandoned wells subjected to high rates and long-term CO 2 injection. To guide engineering design and prevent CO 2 leakage risks, a full understanding of the underlying physics and robust numerical models is necessary to evaluate the response of underground formations in the near wellbore region and in the reservoir. In this study, a multi-scale and multi-physics open-source simulator (GEOS) is used to simulate multiphase flow and poromechanical deformations over time in three dimensions. The governing equations for mechanical deformations of the rock body and multiphase compositional fluid flow within the rock matrix are solved with a fully coupled finite element and finite volume approach. The Drucker–Prager model with friction hardening is applied to simulate elastoplastic deformation and a multiphase fluid model with power-law correlations for relative permeability is used to model the migration of CO 2 plume, which are coupled with numerical implicit scheme. Simulation results are verified against multiple analytical solutions for multiphase flow and wellbore problems, thus demonstrating the accuracy of this advanced simulator. In two engineering applications, here we highlight the impact of elastoplastic deformation and coupled modeling for assessing induced displacements and stress perturbations, which are more pronounced in the near wellbore regions. This work focuses on short-term processes in the vicinity of injection wells where stress evolutions, rock deformations and multiphase compositional flow and transport are simulated jointly to ensure wellbore stability and prevent damage. This fully coupled geomechanical model can simulate multiphase flow and any associated poromechanical effects within the CO 2 storage site and in the surrounding formations. Such a large-scale, long-term, multi-physics simulation model is useful in many ways: it can guide operational decisions for CO 2 injection, assess the containment potential and risks of a site, and analyze the wellbore stability and integrity during and after CO 2 injection.
The tandem reactions of CO 2 -assisted oxidative dehydrogenation and aromatization (CO 2 -ODA) of ethane were investigated over ZSM-5 modified with zinc (Zn) and phosphorus (P) by experimental studies and DFT calculations. The nature of active Zn species and their interaction with P were elucidated for understanding Zn/P-ZSM-5 catalyzed CO 2 -ODA reaction of ethane. Compared to the direct dehydrogenation and aromatization (DDA) reaction, the Zn/P-ZSM-5 catalyst possessed higher ethane conversion, enhanced aromatics yield, and better stability in the CO 2 -ODA reaction. Here, the presence of CO 2 reduced the carbon deposition, stabilized the Zn species, and thereby facilitated the generation of more liquid aromatics in CO 2 -assisted ethane aromatization. In situ characterization and DFT calculations provided insight into the mechanisms of CO 2 -ODA over the Zn/P-ZSM-5 catalyst.
The transformations of CO 2 molecules into valuable products are of increasing interest due to the negative impact of anthropogenic CO 2 emissions on global warming. The CO 2 -to-methanol hydrogenation is an economically profitable reaction of carbon fixation, but it still steps away from widespread industrialization because of the lack of efficient and selective catalysts. Recently, single-atom alloy (SAA) catalysts have been developed to work remarkably in CO 2 hydrogenation reactions. Doping isolated single atoms into metallic catalyst can dramatically alter the catalytic performance of the host. Here, we have performed a screening discovery on Ru and 6 RuX (X = Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Ir and Pt) SAAs using density functional theory (DFT) computations. We considered 13 possible elementary reactions in 4 possible reaction pathways on Ru and all RuX surfaces. In the computed mechanisms, we found that the formation of *H 2 COOH and *HCOO intermediates plays a critical role in determining catalysts’ activities. Doping Co and Pt isolated single atoms into Ru surface can thermodynamically and kinetically facilitate these intermediates formation processes, eventually promoting the production of methanol. The combination of weak binding and enhanced charge redistribution on RuCo and RuPt surfaces give them improved catalytic activities over pure Ru. This work will ultimately facilitate the discovery and development of SAAs for CO 2 to methanol, serving as guidance to experiments and theoreticians alike.
Low-energy solvent-based CO 2 absorption processes have drawn attention as a next-generation post-combustion CO 2 capture technology to reduce CO2 emissions from fossil fuel– or biomass-fired power generation and industrial flue gas streams. A low-aqueous (or water-lean) solvent process may substantially reduce the thermal energy consumption for solvent regeneration. Low-aqueous solvent–based processes are thermally sensitive, requiring a delicate temperature control within the absorber because of the fast exothermic amine-CO 2 reaction and low heat capacity organic diluent. This reaction may result in heat accumulation in a packed absorption column and undesirable CO 2 desorption occurring as the solvent moves through the column, reducing the solvent’s CO 2 capture efficiency if its temperature is not controlled. Using a 3D printed intensified packing device, enhanced heat and mass transfer were demonstrated in an amine-CO 2 scrubbing process using low-aqueous solvent. The multifunctional intensified device facilitates contact of the reactive solvent and gas phases in a single stage and heat removal by a cooling fluid flowing through channels in the interior of the corrugated plates of the device. These functionalities led to effective thermal management along the column via intrastage cooling and significant improvement in CO 2 uptake under a wide range of operating conditions. Intrastage cooling effectively reduced the solvent average temperature along the column by ~10 °C and, as a result, the solvent’s capture efficiency improved by up to 25%.
We describe here a post-combustion CO 2 capture and utilization (CCU) technology that converts the CO 2 into methanol (MeOH), a valuable chemical, thus providing a way to monetize the carbon captured to offset process costs. Methanol synthesis (MeS) has been discussed recently for application to CCU, but thermodynamic limitations make it difficult to convert in a single pass a large CO 2 fraction. Conventional catalysts show slow kinetics in converting CO 2 -rich syngas (or pure CO 2 ) into MeOH. Our Group developed a novel MeS process, employing a membrane contactor reactor (MCR) system that attains carbon conversions significantly higher than equilibrium. Our focus here is to process pure CO 2 streams by combining the MCR with a separate reactor, which converts the CO 2 into a syngas via the reverse water gas shift (RWGS) reaction. In this preliminary effort, the RWGS reactor (RWGSR) is assumed to reach equilibrium. Additional MeS kinetic rate data are generated validating experimentally the ability of the MeS-MCR to process as a feed the RWGSR exit stream. The performance of the combined (RWGSR/MeS-MCR) system is then simulated using a recently developed MeS-MCR model. In conclusion, the findings are encouraging, and research is currently ongoing to experimentally validate the RWGSR/MeS-MCR system performance.
Catalysts research for electrocatalytic CO 2 reduction reactions (CO 2 R) has undergone rapid growth in the last decade. Single-atom alloy catalysts (SAAs) featuring atomically dispersed metal dopants on host metal surfaces have shown promises in boosting CO 2 R yield by optimizing the structure and synergy of the catalytic metals at the atomic scale. Despite the exciting development of SAAs for CO 2 R in fundamental science, dedicated studies for its engineering implementation have been absent. We use this perspective to discuss our non-exhaustive engineering considerations for implementing SAAs for CO 2 R. Here, the perspective starts with a brief overview of the current research status for SAAs in CO 2 R, followed by focal points on structure uncertainties associated with catalyst manufacturing, catalyst layer degradation during reaction, and possibilities for SAAs to mitigate the salt precipitation issue at the device level. We hope our opinions will engage increasing attention toward the engineering catalysis research for applying SAAs to CO 2 R at scale.
We report the catalytic activity and mechanism of copper(I) phosphide, Cu 3 P, with predominant [00Ι] facet exposure for the electrochemical reduction of CO 2 (CO 2 RR) to formic acid. Crystalline nanosheets of this compound that show a preferential [00Ι] facet orientation exhibit undiminished CO 2 RR activity after 16 hours with full retention of crystal structure and surface chemical speciation and no detectable corrosion. In contrast to the range of products formed on Cu metal, CuO, and Cu 2 O, the CO 2 RR on Cu 3 P [00Ι] produces mainly hydrogen and formate as the sole carbon product in KHCO 3 electrolyte. Analysis of the Cu 3 P [00Ι] facet by HAADF-STEM was used to determine the surface lattice structure, while both XPS and Auger spectroscopies were used to determine the surface chemical speciation from the kinetic energies of ionized electrons. The presented analysis identifies isolated trigonal CuP 3 sites on the Cu 3 P[00Ι]-Cu 3 P 3 terminated surface and the Cu(I) oxidation state as precursor to the active catalyst. The CO 2 RR selectivity to formate and the higher turnover rate for H 2 production on the [00Ι] facet allows a structure-activity analysis and chemical mechanism to be proposed. Formation of a surface hydride at isolated *H-CuP 3 sites is proposed as the catalytic site in forming both H 2 and formate, while the long Cu—Cu separation retards forming C-C coupling products. In conclusion, these results disprove previously published claims of Cu(I) oxidation state as a sufficient criterion to promote CO 2 RR to C 2+ products, show that stronger bonded hydrides, *H-CuP 3 on Cu 3 P, favor production of the C1 product formate over all other carbon products, and predict that stronger formate binding (bidentate) is needed for CO 2 RR currents to compete with H 2 production.
An abundant source of CH 4 can be found in natural hydrate deposits. Recent demonstration of CH 4 recovery from hydrates via CO 2 exchange has revealed the potential as a fuel source that also provides a medium for carbon sequestration. It is vital to understand the structural and dynamic impacts of guest variation in CH 4 , CO 2 , and mixed hydrates and link the results to the stability of various deposits in nature, harvesting methane, and sequestering CO 2 . Molecular vibrations are examined in CH 4 , CO 2 , and mixed CH 4 -CO 2 hydrates at 5 and 190 K and Xe hydrates for comparison. Inelastic neutron scattering (INS) is an ideal spectroscopy technique to observe the dynamic modes in the hydrate structure and enclathrated CH 4 , as it is extremely sensitive to 1 H. The presence of CO 2 in hydrates tightens the lattice. It introduces more active librational modes to the host lattice, while hindering the motion of CH 4 in mixed CH 4 -CO 2 hydrate at 5 K. At 190 K, a large broadening of the CH 4 librational modes indicates disorder in the structure leading to dissociation.
The geochemical and isotopic characteristics of groundwaters in Chimayó, New Mexico, reflect processes that affect water quality in the Tesuque Aquifer, which overlies a leaking natural CO 2 source in a structurally complex region. In this study, select isotopes (δ 13 C, 87 Sr/ 86 Sr, 234 U/ 238 U) are applied to groundwaters to better understand CO 2 transport mechanisms and related water-rock interactions that impact Chimayó groundwater. Carbon stable isotope ratios of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC; δ 13 CDIC = -15.10‰ to 4.50‰) identify a distinct source of upward-migrating CO 2 that interacts with the groundwater. Additionally, groundwater 87 Sr/ 86 Sr compositions (0.7098 to 0.7154) reflect intrusion of varying amounts of saline water associated with the high CO 2 source, while 234 U/ 238 U ratios corroborate presence of deep groundwater and suggest impacts from distinctive natural uranium sources are affecting groundwater. Previous work proposed two CO 2 transport mechanisms at the site: (1) dissolved in deep brine that underlies the aquifer and (2) in the gas phase; this study uses isotope mixing models to identify wells that are affected by these CO 2 transport mechanisms and demonstrates that both transport mechanisms are associated with impaired groundwaters. Overall, this study demonstrates that applying multiple isotope systems (δ 13 CDIC, 87 Sr/ 86 Sr, 234 U/ 238 U) is a dynamic tool for identifying and measuring the impact of CO 2 leakage from a sequestration site.
In this study, we investigate microwave irradiation as an alternative to conventional heating for temperature swing adsorption processes. The performance of microwave and conventional heating during sorbent regeneration was evaluated by measuring CO 2 desorption from zeolite 13X at different temperatures. Experimentally, a fixed bed of zeolite 13X was saturated by a 150 sccm flow of 15 % CO 2 at room temperature followed by sorbent regeneration under nitrogen at 55, 100, or 150 °C by applying either microwave irradiation or conventional heating. Microwaves reduced sorbent regeneration times by at least half compared to regeneration by conventional heating. Under conventional regeneration, desorption curves were resolved into two peaks representing physisorbed CO 2 (mass diffusion limited) at low temperature and bicoordinated CO 2 (thermally limited) with increasing temperature. Under microwave regeneration, only one desorption peak was observed suggesting that CO 2 desorption was limited by mass diffusion through the porous zeolite 13X structure, rather than by temperature. Depending on microwave power, apparent activation energy of the microwave-assisted regeneration was 15.8–18.1 kJ/mol, compared to 41.5 kJ/mol for conventional regeneration. The reduction in apparent activation energy is mainly attributed to selective microwave heating of CO 2 adsorption sites (Na + sites) resulting in greater steady state temperatures of Na + relative to framework atoms, suggesting greater heating efficiency due to microwaves compared to conventional heat transfer. Due to rapid cycling and efficient heat transfer to CO 2 sites on zeolite 13X, microwave regeneration is found to increase adsorption/desorption cycling productivity and potentially reduce the energy penalty of temperature swing capture.
An innovative post-combustion process using aqueous sodium glycinates solutions (SGS) for CO 2 capture from a split flue gas stream emitted from the 600 MWe coal power plant, used in the Wolverine Clean Energy Venture (WCEV) project, was developed in Aspen Plus v.10. The flue gas flow rate used in the process was 12.43 kg/s (at 353.15 K and 101.33 kPa) and contained 0.0023 and 13.33 mol% of SO 2 and CO 2 , respectively. The overall process includes 5 main units designed to remove all SO 2 and capture more than 90 mol% of CO 2 in the flue gas stream, while producing high-value, salable sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO 3 ) nanomaterials to offset the total process costs. The hydraulics, mass transfer characteristics, and process performance obtained using Aspen Plus were discussed. Also, the capital expenditure (CAPEX), operating expenditure (OPEX), and Levelized cost of CO 2 capture (LCOC) were calculated to assess the feasibility of this process. Further, the hydraulics in the SO 2 washing and CO 2 capture units showed a pressure drop of 12 and 1 kPa, respectively, and the behaviors of the liquid holdup and normalized packing specific wetted surface area were similar in both units. The gas-side mass transfer coefficients were orders of magnitude greater than the liquid-side mass transfer coefficients. The process was able to capture 2.352 kg/s of CO 2 and produce 4.486 kg/s of valuable NaHCO 3 nanomaterials. Also, the calculated CAPEX, OPEX, and LCOC of the process for a 30-year plant lifetime were ($\$ $4,450,552), (233.00 $\$ $/h) and (35.49 $\$ $/ton of CO 2 captured), respectively.
This study presents an approach for quantifying when injected carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) stabilizes pursuant to carbon capture and storage (CCS) project permitting and site closure requirements. The distribution of mobile-phase CO 2 (CO 2 plume) will evolve within the storage reservoir during and after injection through both physical and chemical trapping mechanisms. CCS policies generally agree that the CO 2 plume’s migratory behavior in post-injection should demonstrate nonendangerment to the environment but do not provide specific guidance on how to meet the definition of plume stabilization, generating some uncertainty for operators. Plume stability herein means the CO 2 plume 1) changes size minimally and predictably in the storage reservoir such that it will not cross key boundaries identified in the permit and 2) does not pose a threat to human health, underground sources of drinking water (USDWs), and the environment because of lateral migration to areas where leakage pathways may exist. Published literature on plume metrics was reviewed to determine which metric(s) may be most appropriate for determining CO 2 plume stability. A technical approach that defines plume stabilization by estimating the rate of change in the geographic footprint of the CO 2 plume with respect to time was developed and illustrated using a case study from North Dakota, USA, as a proposed solution for CCS operators to apply at the project permitting stage. Any prospective CCS operator may benefit from using the same approach to inform the selection of pore space lease and monitoring areas and develop post-injection site care plans.
The chemical industry needs to significantly decrease carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions in order to meet the 2050 carbon neutrality goal. Utilization of CO 2 as a chemical feedstock for bulk products is a promising way to mitigate industrial emissions; however, CO 2 -based manufacturing is currently not competitive with the established petrochemical methods and its deployment requires creation of a new value chain. Here, we show that an alternative approach, using CO 2 conversion as an add-on to existing manufactures, can disrupt the global carbon cycle while minimally perturbing the operation of chemical plants. Proposed closed-loop on-site CO 2 recycling processes are economically viable in the current market and have the potential for rapid introduction in the industries. Retrofit-based CO 2 recycling can reduce annually between 4 and 10 Gt CO 2 by 2050 and contribute to achieving up to 50% of the industrial carbon neutrality goal.
Kinetics of reaction pathways involved in the conversion of CO 2 to methanol and CO on Cu/ZnO/Al 2 O 3 are resolved using in situ chemical titration, steady-state kinetic measurements, and mathematical formalisms for reversibility to probe salient species governing methanol selectivity and yield during CO 2 hydrogenation. Across a range of H 2 :CO 2 = 1:1 to H 2 :CO 2 = 80.5:1, active site density determined from in situ chlorine uptake remained invariant; hence, observed trends in rates can be interpreted as only arising from reaction kinetics and not from changing active site density. Kinetic and thermodynamic contributions to rates are decoupled to evaluate forward and reverse rates of methanol synthesis and reverse water-gas shift (RWGS) reactions. These kinetic analyses show that the forward rates of methanol synthesis exhibit persistent first order dependence on hydrogen pressure and are inhibited by water more significantly than the forward rates of RWGS. In contrast, the reverse rates of methanol synthesis and RWGS are both inhibited by H 2 . Consequently, without any modifications to the Cu/ZnO/Al 2 O 3 catalyst formulation, methanol selectivity can be increased to > 80% by increasing inlet H 2 partial pressure and methanol yield can be enhanced by ~20% by adding water adsorbents even under conditions far from equilibrium. Here, the kinetic treatments presented herein demonstrate a dearth of H* species during catalysis, provide thermodynamic constraints precluding sequential RWGS and CO hydrogenation as the pathway for methanol synthesis, reveal P H2 and P H2O as salient in determining methanol selectivity and yield by impacting both the forward and reverse rates of CO 2 hydrogenation on Cu/ZnO/Al 2 O 3 , and explicate the fundamentals of novel sorption-enhanced methanol synthesis, which not only alleviates equilibrium constraints but also alters the intrinsic rate at which the system approaches equilibrium.
The aviation sector requires scalable decarbonization strategies, and lignocellulosic sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) represents a promising pathway. This study comparatively evaluates the techno-economic analysis and life cycle assessment (LCA) of three CO 2 management strategies integrated within a U.S.-based gasification–Fischer–Tropsch SAF biorefinery: (i) catalytic hydrogenation of captured CO 2 to methanol, (ii) geological CO 2 sequestration, and (iii) mineralization to sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO 3 ). Techno-economic analysis indicates that methanol synthesis requires approximately 26% higher capital investment and 33% higher operating costs than mineralization. Although methanol co-production generates the highest gross revenue, NaHCO 3 production reduces the SAF minimum selling price by approximately 38% relative to both methanol synthesis and geological sequestration pathways, reflecting a more balanced cost allocation through mineral co-product valorization. Geological sequestration lowers operating costs by nearly 50% compared with methanol synthesis but remains highly dependent on carbon credit mechanisms. LCA reveals substantial divergence in climate performance. Relative to methanol synthesis, sequestration improves net greenhouse gas performance by approximately 163%, transitioning the system from net-positive to net-negative emissions. Mineralization further enhances carbon mitigation, achieving roughly 85% greater carbon reduction than sequestration and over sixfold improvement relative to methanol synthesis within the defined system boundary. Sensitivity analysis identified hydrogen price, co-product market value, and process emissions as dominant drivers. Under baseline assumptions, CO 2 mineralization is found to offer the most balanced pathway.
Electro-fuels can be produced from concentrated sources of carbon dioxide and hydrogen using electricity generated from renewable sources; this process enables energy storage at high volumetric energy density. Among the electro-fuels options, FT (Fischer-Tropsch) fuel is attractive for heavy-duty trucks and non-road transportation applications. This study conducts a techno-economic analysis of FT liquid fuel production from H 2 and CO 2 using a detailed performance analysis. Minimum fuel selling price is estimated for a broad range of H 2 and CO 2 prices and for a range of potential CO 2 credits. The analysis indicates that H 2 price has the largest impact on the minimum selling price of FT fuel. FT fuel production with a CO 2 price of $17.3/metric ton requires an H 2 price of $0.8/kg to be cost-competitive with the pre-tax petroleum diesel price of $3.1/gal in 2050 (before the application of any CO 2 credits). When the H 2 price is $2.0/kg from central water electrolysis (2020 target), the minimum selling price of the FT fuel is $5.4–5.9/gal. A sensitivity analysis shows that future system optimization of FT fuel production could focus on improving the H 2 and CO 2 recycle contributions and FT fuel conversion ratio. The analysis results can be combined with various upstream systems for H 2 and CO 2 production.