title: A Gross-Margin Model for Defining Technoeconomic Benchmarks in the Electroreduction of CO2.
abstract: We introduce a gross-margin model to evaluate the technoeconomic feasibility of producing different C1 -C2 chemicals such as carbon monoxide, formic acid, methanol, methane, ethanol, and ethylene through the electroreduction of CO2 . Key performance benchmarks including the maximum operating cell potential (Vmax ), minimum operating current density (jmin ), Faradaic efficiency (FE), and catalyst durability (tcatdur ) are derived. The Vmax values obtained for the different chemicals indicate that CO and HCOOH are the most economically viable products. Selectivity requirements suggest that the coproduction of an economically less feasible chemical (CH3 OH, CH4 , C2 H5 OH, C2 H4 ) with a more feasible chemical (CO, HCOOH) can be a strategy to offset the Vmax requirements for individual products. Other performance requirements such as jmin and tcatdur are also derived, and the feasibility of alternative process designs and operating conditions are evaluated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 600 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.|International Institute for Carbon Neutral Energy Research (WPI-I2CNER), Kyushu University, 744 Moto-oka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan.
authors.forename: Sumit
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Verma
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 600 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.|International Institute for Carbon Neutral Energy Research (WPI-I2CNER), Kyushu University, 744 Moto-oka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan.
authors.forename: Byoungsu
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 600 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.|International Institute for Carbon Neutral Energy Research (WPI-I2CNER), Kyushu University, 744 Moto-oka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan.
authors.forename: Huei-Ru Molly
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Jhong
authors.affiliation: International Institute for Carbon Neutral Energy Research (WPI-I2CNER), Kyushu University, 744 Moto-oka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan.|Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 505 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.
authors.forename: Sichao
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 600 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA. kenis@illinois.edu.|International Institute for Carbon Neutral Energy Research (WPI-I2CNER), Kyushu University, 744 Moto-oka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan. kenis@illinois.edu.
authors.forename: Paul J A
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-7348-0381
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Kenis
mesh_terms: D019985:Benchmarking; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000737:chemistry*; D002248:Carbon Monoxide / Q000737:chemistry; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D004563:Electrochemistry / Q000191:economics*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000737:chemistry; D005030:Ethylenes / Q000737:chemistry; D005561:Formates / Q000737:chemistry; D008697:Methane / Q000737:chemistry; D000432:Methanol / Q000737:chemistry; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction
chemical_list: D005030:Ethylenes; D005561:Formates; C030544:formic acid; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D000431:Ethanol; D002248:Carbon Monoxide; C036216:ethylene; D008697:Methane; D000432:Methanol
keywords: carbon dioxide fixation; electrochemistry; electroreduction; energy conversion; renewable resources