【Frontiers of HaiChuan Technology】The Institute of Deep Earth Sciences and Green Energy at Shenzhen University proposes a new strategy for low-energy electrochemical carbon capture

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Recently, the team led by Xie Heping, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and director of the Institute of Deep Earth Sciences and Green Energy at Shenzhen University, proposed a new strategy for low-energy electrochemical carbon capture, which holds the potential to promote the commercial application of carbon capture technologies that are both low-energy-consuming and highly stable. The relevant findings were published in Nature Communications. 　　Xie Heping’s team transformed the traditional single-step electrochemical reaction into a two-step electrochemical-chemical phase coupling process. By carrying out hydrogen evolution reactions at the cathode and organic reduction carrier oxidation reactions at the anode, as well as by adjusting the acidity or alkalinity of the electrolyte, they achieved a low-energy, efficient carbon capture process. 　　It is reported that this two-step reaction strategy not only prevents oxygen from interfering with the system but also enhances its stability and durability. Experimental results show that this technology can operate stably for 200 hours, with only 1.12 gigajoules of energy required per ton of carbon dioxide captured. 　　Furthermore, the team also successfully developed the world’s first prototype based on electrochemical carbon capture technology, capable of processing 1,500 liters of flue gas per day, and carried out a successful scale-up demonstration. This prototype has achieved a technical breakthrough by being able to produce 0.4 kilograms of high-purity carbon dioxide per day and operating stably for over 72 hours, further verifying the feasibility of this method for large-scale carbon reduction applications.