TY - JOUR
T1 - Promoting e-chemical production by optimising the cathode–anode pair
AU - Virdee, Ashween Kaur
AU - Walsh, Michael
AU - Villano, Rocco
AU - Jahanbakhsh, Amir
AU - Negahdar, Leila
AU - Pitchaimuthu, Sudhagar
AU - Andresen, John M.
AU - Van der Spek, Mijndert
AU - Maroto−Valer, M. Mercedes
AU - Tan, Jeannie Z. Y.
PY - 2025/2/1
Y1 - 2025/2/1
N2 - Chemical production via electroreduction may be a relevant strategy for a future sustainable chemical industry. Many studies have investigated optimal material–reactor combinations on the cathode side of electrolysers, but the anode side has been largely overlooked. We present a case study on e–acetate production to show that optimising the cathode–anode pair leads to increased cell performance: the optimised pair of electrodes can induce high single-pass e–production of sodium acetate at a Faradaic efficiency of 66.7 %. Multiphysics simulations of the optimised electrolyser design suggest that the kinetics significantly influence acetate distribution in the diffusion medium, with higher oxidation kinetic rates favouring increased acetate presence. Operando DRIFT performed using a continuous flow cell revealed that methanol is an important intermediate for acetate production from syngas.
AB - Chemical production via electroreduction may be a relevant strategy for a future sustainable chemical industry. Many studies have investigated optimal material–reactor combinations on the cathode side of electrolysers, but the anode side has been largely overlooked. We present a case study on e–acetate production to show that optimising the cathode–anode pair leads to increased cell performance: the optimised pair of electrodes can induce high single-pass e–production of sodium acetate at a Faradaic efficiency of 66.7 %. Multiphysics simulations of the optimised electrolyser design suggest that the kinetics significantly influence acetate distribution in the diffusion medium, with higher oxidation kinetic rates favouring increased acetate presence. Operando DRIFT performed using a continuous flow cell revealed that methanol is an important intermediate for acetate production from syngas.
KW - Electrolyte
KW - Sodium acetate
KW - DRIFT
KW - Multiphysics simulation
KW - Continuous flow electrolyser
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85213979695&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.cej.2024.159145
DO - 10.1016/j.cej.2024.159145
M3 - Article
SN - 1385-8947
VL - 505
JO - Chemical Engineering Journal
JF - Chemical Engineering Journal
M1 - 159145
ER -