Catalysts that convert waste carbon dioxide into valuable products such as acetate are designed to run continuously on electricity for the conversion process.
Catalysts that convert waste carbon dioxide into valuable products such as acetate are designed to run continuously on electricity for the conversion process. But electricity from renewable energy sources, such as solar or hydroelectric power, often runs intermittently, which can damage parts of the catalyst and reduce performance.
An international team of researchers, led by WashU McKelvey Engineering, found a method to control “powering down” the copper cathode to prevent damage while operating for up to 750 hours without any loss in performance and while reducing costs by about 25%. Results of their research were published July 8 in Nature Catalysis.
Read More: Washington University in St. Louis
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