FURI | Spring 2022

Molten Salt Screening for Electrically Enhanced CO2 Splitting with Ceria

Ceria (CeO₂) can be used to split CO₂ in a two-step thermochemical process. Oxygen vacancies are formed in the ceria by endothermic reduction at high temperatures. CO₂ is used to oxidize the ceria, and the vacancies are filled by oxygen in the carbon dioxide, producing CO. The introduction of a high electric field allows the temperature to be lowered for the reduction reaction. The addition of molten salt in the system enables a low voltage to supply a high electric field through the electric double layer phenomena. The project aims to investigate several molten salts in order to see which one facilitates the highest CO₂ conversion. Four salts (LiCO₃, Na₂SO4, K₂CO₃, and K₂SO₄) are tested.