Hydrogen-Assisted Carbonate Electrolyzer
We are developing an integrated DAC (direct air capture) and carbonate electrolyzer system to remove CO2 from air and regenerate it as a purified stream suitable for further sequestration technologies, including conversion to high value chemicals. This system uses a concentrated KOH solution to capture CO2 from ambient air in the form of potassium carbonate using a Giner-designed DAC system capable of capturing over 50 g/h CO2. The carbonate solution is then fed into a hydrogen-assisted carbonate electrolyzer that uses Giner technology to regenerate the carbon dioxide as a purified gas stream, as well as produce aqueous KOH and hydrogen at the cathode.
The hydrogen can be recirculated back to the anode, keeping the operating voltage low to minimize energy consumption, while the KOH solution can be fed back into the DAC system. This system integration and recycling of chemical products makes the full device extremely resource efficient, as well as energy efficient. Both the DAC and electrolyzer can be operated with renewable electricity to reduce carbon emissions further. This technology can therefore enable future carbon capture and sequestration efforts by providing a concentrated, purified CO2 source using DAC for carbon utilization applications.