New strategies for economically feasible CO2 electroreduction using a porous membrane in zero-gap configuration

Abstract

The high capital cost of electrolyzers is one of the major obstacles encountered in the industrial adoption of electrochemical CO2 reduction (CO2R) systems. The anion exchange membrane (AEM) is a major contributor to the cost of electrolyzers. Herein, we propose a strategy for improving the economic feasibility by applying a low-cost porous membrane (PM). For a CO2R reaction (CO2RR), the activity and selectivity of an electrolyzer using a PM were found to be similar to those achieved using an AEM. Furthermore, the physical properties of PM, such as pore size, hydrophobicity, and thickness, can be tuned to suit the CO2RR. A techno-economic analysis of the entire process revealed that adopting a PM is economically advantageous compared to adopting an AEM. Our results not only provide new practical and economical insights into the CO2RR, but also demonstrate its potential extension to a variety of electrolytic systems.