Tandem Electro-Thermal Catalytic Reduction of CO2 into Methanol from Flue Gas: From Laboratory to Pilot

Abstract To mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, CO2 catalytic reduction methods have been proposed to establish power-to-fuel routes, converting CO2 to high-value products. In this work, a pilot-scale electro-thermal tandem CO2 catalytic reduction facility has been established in a coal-fired power plant. The pollutant removal and carbon capture-treated exhaust gas containing 95% purified CO2 has been introduced to the electro-thermal tandem CO2 catalytic reduction facility to produce methanol. The electrocatalytic equipment converts CO2 into CO at a flow rate of 480 L/h and a Faradaic efficiency of 86%. The thermal-catalytic equipment converts the syngas of CO and H2 into methanol and could reach a maximum productivity of 212.5 g/h. The overall CO2 conversion rate was 81%. This pilot-scale demonstration advances electro-thermal tandem CO2 catalytic reduction to a practical industrial facility, highlighting its advantages in handling low-purity feed gas and effectively utilizing syngas while consuming clean and renewable electricity.