Electrorreducción de dióxido de carbono en fase gas para la producción de hidrocarburos

Laburpena

The mitigation of climate change represents one of the main challenges for humankind. In this context, the electrochemical CO2 reduction to hydrocarbons represents a promising solution to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels for the synthesis of chemicals, helping to recycle CO2 at the same time. There are, however, important challenges for the applicability of this technology, which are mainly related to the catalytic material. The aim of this PhD Thesis is the design, set-up and application of an experimental system at laboratory scale for the electrochemical gas-phase CO2 valorization to hydrocarbons in continuous mode. Thus, an analysis of the state of the art on electrochemical membrane reactors for CO2 utilization is carried out. In addition, the design and set-up of an experimental system to evaluate the production of hydrocarbons in a filter-press type cell is performed. Moreover, the reaction is studied using Cu nanoparticles as catalytic material and different operating conditions. The selectivity of the process is also evaluated by varying particle size. Finally, the development of Cu-based bimetallic materials is carried out to enhance the electrocatalytic process.