Collaborative study on electrochemical CO₂ reduction

A new open-access paper, “Scaling up electrochemical CO₂ reduction to formate through comparative reactor analysis”, has been published in Industrial Chemistry and Materials, a Royal Society of Chemistry journal. The publication is available here.

The study investigates how electrochemical CO₂ reduction (eCO₂RR) can be scaled from laboratory setups to pilot-scale electrolyzers. By systematically comparing reactor designs at different scales, the research provides new insights into how reactor configuration, electrode composition, and system size influence formate production, performance stability, and energy efficiency.

Highlights of the work include:

• Comparative results for gas diffusion electrode (GDE) setups of 100 cm², 300 cm², and 400 cm².

• Energy consumption figures relevant for larger-scale operation.

• Observations on the structural degradation of large-area electrodes.

• Identification of challenges and opportunities for future scaling, offering a pathway toward more robust and energy-efficient CO₂ conversion technologies.

The research was led by Deepak Pant, Chandani Singh, Avni Guruji, Swapnil Varhade (VITO) in collaboration with Paniz Izadi, Carl Schneider, Philip Haus, Falk Harnisch (UFZ). The team worked with VITO CORE® carbon-free, metal-based gas diffusion electrodes using tin (Sn) and bismuth (Bi) catalysts, developed and refined within the VIVALDI framework.

This publication demonstrates how collaborative research can accelerate progress toward sustainable carbon valorisation, providing both technical data and practical guidance for future development of CO₂ electroreduction technologies.