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TECHNO-ECONOMIC ANALYSIS

The challenges of electrolytic valorization of carbon dioxide

Nature Sustainability volume 4, pages 839–840 (2021)Cite this article

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Electroreduction of carbon dioxide is an enabling technology that can produce valuable chemicals, notably C1 (for example, formic acid and carbon monoxide) and C2 chemicals (for example, ethylene and ethanol), with a minimal or even negative carbon footprint. Now, a techno-economic analysis shows that only the C1 products can achieve competitive prices, while substantial improvements in process economics are needed for C2.

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Fig. 1: Price–demand curve for commodity chemicals.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the US Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Technology Transitions and the DOE, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office. PNNL is a multiprogram national laboratory operated for the US Department of Energy by Battelle under contract DE-AC05-76RL01830.

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  1. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA

    Robert S. Weber

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  1. Robert S. Weber
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Correspondence to Robert S. Weber.

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Weber, R.S. The challenges of electrolytic valorization of carbon dioxide. Nat Sustain 4, 839–840 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-021-00748-w

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