Continuous Direct Air Capture and Electrochemical Conversion of CO2 and H2O into Ethylene and Oxygen in a Solid Electrolyte Reactor

Direct air capture (DAC) and conversion of carbon dioxide into valuable chemicals is an eco-sustainable solution to curb the urgent climate crisis. This communication demonstrates a practical and scalable solid electrolyte electrochemical cell that can directly uptake CO2 and H2O from air and continuously convert them into basic petrochemical ethylene and oxygen with extremely low voltage potential of 0.6 V and 1 A current. This DAC solid electrolyte reactor can produce approximate 70 mg of ethylene in 1 h, with about 80% energy efficiency, and remain in a lower temperature.