Industrial-Scale Molten Carbonate Electrolysis CCUS Decarbonization
摘要
This chapter presents the discovery, advancements, and industrial-scale implementation of a unique decarbonization chemistry to mitigate the existential threat of climate change by sequestering CO2. C2CNT® (CO2 to carbon nanotechnology) transition metal nucleates the electrolytic splitting of CO2, transforming it into a wide range of graphene nanocarbon (GNC) allotropes. The process splits CO2 into carbon (in the form of CGNC) and oxygen by passing current from an anode to a cathode in molten carbonates, with the reaction CO2 → CGNC + O2. The original 2015 C2CNT® process, which utilized 0.0005 m2 electrodes in a lithium carbonate electrolyte, has been scaled to electrodes that are larger than 1 m2 and integrated into 100 t annual industrial decarbonization Genesis Device® modules. The electrolysis conditions control the morphology of the graphene allotropes produced, leading to a wide variety of materials: 0D (hollow and solid carbon nano-onions consisting of concentric graphene spheres), 1D (straight or tangled, doped, magnetic, bamboo, pearl, and single- and double-stranded helical carbon nanotubes), 2D (graphene and graphene platelets), and 3D graphene (such as graphene nanoscaffolds). These different morphologies enhance the superior strength, conductivity, electronic properties, light absorption, and catalytic activity of graphene, opening the door for diverse applications of pure GNCs, including carbanogels, pure buckypapers, and composites for polymers, metals, and cement. The benefits of using lower-cost electrolytes, such as sodium, barium, or strontium carbonate, or higher CO2-capacity electrolytes, like beryllium, are explored. Thermodynamic and experimental studies indicate that strontium carbonate produces high-quality, inexpensive graphene nanocarbon allotropes, which provide a significant economic incentive for decarbonization.