Reactive capture of CO2 via amino acid
Reactive capture of carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>) offers an electrified pathway to produce renewable carbon monoxide (CO), which can then be upgraded into long-chain hydrocarbons and fuels. Previous reactive capture systems relied on hydroxide- or amine-based capture solutions. However, selectivity for CO remains low (<50%) for hydroxide-based systems and conventional amines are prone to oxygen (O<sub>2</sub>) degradation. Here, we develop a reactive capture strategy using potassium glycinate (K-GLY), an amino acid salt (AAS) capture solution applicable to O<sub>2</sub>-rich CO<sub>2</sub>-lean conditions. By employing a single-atom catalyst, engineering the capture solution, and elevating the operating temperature and pressure, we increase the availability of dissolved in-situ CO<sub>2</sub> and achieve CO production with 64% Faradaic efficiency (FE) at 50 mA cm<sup>-2</sup>. We report a measured CO energy efficiency (EE) of 31% and an energy intensity of 40 GJ t<sub>CO</sub><sup>-1</sup>, exceeding the best hydroxide- and amine-based reactive capture reports. The feasibility of the full reactive capture process is demonstrated with both simulated flue gas and direct air input.
Authors
- Christine M. Gabardo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9456-6894)
- Yurou Celine Xiao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5855-5119)
- Paul J. Corbett (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5111-2473)
- Mengyang Fan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9771-8670)
- Chenyue Qiu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3703-4058)
- Jianan Erick Huang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5872-3680)
- Rui Kai Miao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0542-0683)
- Jane Y. Howe (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9319-3988)
- Panagiotis Papangelakis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3634-8538)
- Geonhui Lee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9264-7420)
- Edward Hartley Sargent (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0396-6495)
- Yuanjun Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1560-3854)
- Siyu Sonia Sun (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-6898-838X)
- Jiheon Kim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8681-6793)
- Zunmin Guo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0388-3876)
- Colin P. O’Brien (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0824-2752)
- David Sinton (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2714-6408)
- Kai Han (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6302-5366)
- Yong Sheng Zhao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1431-2083)
- Feng Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9914-1142)
- Xinyue Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5837-5361)
- Yan Yu
Institutions
- University of Toronto (CA)
- Shell (Netherlands) (NL)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2024-09-08
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-51908-3
- Citations
- 49
- Primary Topic
- CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 5.02
Funders
- Shell
- Government of Ontario
- Shell Global Solutions International
- Canada Research Chairs
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada