Evaluation of single chamber electrochemical reduction of CO2 to formate for application under biocompatible conditions

The electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (eCO2RR) facilitates high rates and yields for the selective production of formate, a quintessential C1-compound that can serve as a valuable carbon and energy source for biosynthesis. The use of double-chamber (DC) electrochemical cells with membranes is d...

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Main Authors: Zainab Ul, Mira Sulonen, Philip Haus, Paniz Izadi, Juan Antonio Baeza, Falk Harnisch, Albert Guisasola
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-07-01
Series:Journal of CO2 Utilization
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212982025001209
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author Zainab Ul
Mira Sulonen
Philip Haus
Paniz Izadi
Juan Antonio Baeza
Falk Harnisch
Albert Guisasola
author_facet Zainab Ul
Mira Sulonen
Philip Haus
Paniz Izadi
Juan Antonio Baeza
Falk Harnisch
Albert Guisasola
author_sort Zainab Ul
collection DOAJ
description The electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (eCO2RR) facilitates high rates and yields for the selective production of formate, a quintessential C1-compound that can serve as a valuable carbon and energy source for biosynthesis. The use of double-chamber (DC) electrochemical cells with membranes is deemed essential to avoid mixing of electrochemical products (i.e. anodic oxygen and cathodic formate) and thus cross-reactions that lower yields, Faradaic efficiency (FE) and effective rate. However, single-chamber (SC) setups for eCO2RR can be more suitable to combine with bioprocesses. This work comprehensively evaluates, using different experimental set-ups, the conditions under which SC operation can obtain results comparable to DC systems. At a 50 mL scale, under biocompatible conditions, formate production in the SC setup achieved a 14 % reduction in the production rate (146 mg L−1 h−1 for SC and 170 mg L−1 h−1 for DC) and a 15 % decrease in FE (72.2 % in SC and 84.7 % in DC). The highest formate concentration produced in 24 h SC experiments was 1.8 g·L−1 with FE of 41 %, a concentration appropriate for fermentation processes. The SC operation of eCO2RR to formate without a membrane could reduce energy losses and capital costs, although at the cost of an expected reduction in rate and FE.
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spelling doaj-art-583c15b5667f4fbfbc0ec267e8ae090e2025-08-20T02:30:47ZengElsevierJournal of CO2 Utilization2212-98392025-07-019710313610.1016/j.jcou.2025.103136Evaluation of single chamber electrochemical reduction of CO2 to formate for application under biocompatible conditionsZainab Ul0Mira Sulonen1Philip Haus2Paniz Izadi3Juan Antonio Baeza4Falk Harnisch5Albert Guisasola6GENOCOV, Departament d’Enginyeria Química, Biològica i Ambiental, Escola d’Enginyeria, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Barcelona 08193, SpainGENOCOV, Departament d’Enginyeria Química, Biològica i Ambiental, Escola d’Enginyeria, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Barcelona 08193, Spain; VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd., Espoo 02044, FinlandDepartment of Microbial Biotechnology, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Leipzig, GermanyDepartment of Microbial Biotechnology, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Leipzig, GermanyGENOCOV, Departament d’Enginyeria Química, Biològica i Ambiental, Escola d’Enginyeria, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Barcelona 08193, Spain; Corresponding author.Department of Microbial Biotechnology, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Leipzig, GermanyGENOCOV, Departament d’Enginyeria Química, Biològica i Ambiental, Escola d’Enginyeria, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Barcelona 08193, SpainThe electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (eCO2RR) facilitates high rates and yields for the selective production of formate, a quintessential C1-compound that can serve as a valuable carbon and energy source for biosynthesis. The use of double-chamber (DC) electrochemical cells with membranes is deemed essential to avoid mixing of electrochemical products (i.e. anodic oxygen and cathodic formate) and thus cross-reactions that lower yields, Faradaic efficiency (FE) and effective rate. However, single-chamber (SC) setups for eCO2RR can be more suitable to combine with bioprocesses. This work comprehensively evaluates, using different experimental set-ups, the conditions under which SC operation can obtain results comparable to DC systems. At a 50 mL scale, under biocompatible conditions, formate production in the SC setup achieved a 14 % reduction in the production rate (146 mg L−1 h−1 for SC and 170 mg L−1 h−1 for DC) and a 15 % decrease in FE (72.2 % in SC and 84.7 % in DC). The highest formate concentration produced in 24 h SC experiments was 1.8 g·L−1 with FE of 41 %, a concentration appropriate for fermentation processes. The SC operation of eCO2RR to formate without a membrane could reduce energy losses and capital costs, although at the cost of an expected reduction in rate and FE.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212982025001209BiocompatibleCO2 reductionElectrocatalysisIndiumSingle chamber
spellingShingle Zainab Ul
Mira Sulonen
Philip Haus
Paniz Izadi
Juan Antonio Baeza
Falk Harnisch
Albert Guisasola
Evaluation of single chamber electrochemical reduction of CO2 to formate for application under biocompatible conditions
Journal of CO2 Utilization
Biocompatible
CO2 reduction
Electrocatalysis
Indium
Single chamber
title Evaluation of single chamber electrochemical reduction of CO2 to formate for application under biocompatible conditions
title_full Evaluation of single chamber electrochemical reduction of CO2 to formate for application under biocompatible conditions
title_fullStr Evaluation of single chamber electrochemical reduction of CO2 to formate for application under biocompatible conditions
title_full_unstemmed Evaluation of single chamber electrochemical reduction of CO2 to formate for application under biocompatible conditions
title_short Evaluation of single chamber electrochemical reduction of CO2 to formate for application under biocompatible conditions
title_sort evaluation of single chamber electrochemical reduction of co2 to formate for application under biocompatible conditions
topic Biocompatible
CO2 reduction
Electrocatalysis
Indium
Single chamber
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212982025001209
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