Figure 2 : Product distribution of CO 2 electrochemical conversion to various specialty chemicals .
technological hurdles that are associated with process intensification 3 . However , significant breakthroughs have been recorded in recent decades , and electrochemical technology is currently approaching the demonstration phase . Many breakthroughs have been made in the last decade , especially concerning different electrocatalyst materials used as electrodes in a practical CO 2 electrolyser . It was established that anodic reaction in a CO 2 electrolyser is usually water oxidation , releasing oxygen . Electrons flow through the outer circuit to the cathode , where they can combine with CO 2 to form various commercially valuable products . The electrochemical CO 2 conversion to these products , otherwise referred to as specialty chemicals , are attractive from the perspectives of green manufacturing technology , environmental protection and climate action .
In the context of green technology , the electrochemical technique has the potential advantage of utilising excess electrical energy generated from intermittent sources like solar or wind ( See Figure 1 ). 4 Moreover , electrochemical
CO 2 conversion in the perspective of environmental protection serves as a means of producing specialty chemicals such as carbon monoxide , formic acid or formate , CO , methane , ethylene , ethane , methanol , acetic acid , propanol , and ethanol ( See Figure 2 ). 5-7 These specialty chemicals have high economic value and researchers have synthesised them in substantial yields . Recently , we included peroxydicarbonate carboxylation anion from the direct electrochemical conversion of CO 2
. 8 , 9 Essentially , the electrochemical CO 2 conversion process as green technology is a means of storing excess energy from other
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