ELECTROCHEMICAL SPLITTING OF SUPERCRITICAL CO₂

A. CAPPELLI, REGINALD MITCHELL AND TSUYOHITO ITO
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING;
OSAKA UNIVERSITY–GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

In theory, excess power created by intermittent renewable power can be used to remove CO₂ from the environment and extract carbon monoxide, which can later generate electricity when the wind is not blowing and the sun is not shining. Previous attempts at breaking the carbon-oxygen bond, however, have consumed too much energy for an efficient storage system. This project will examine the fundamentals of splitting CO₂ under supercritical temperature and pressure to form CO, which can be used as a fuel to produce electricity as needed. The researchers hope to establish that the process can recover much of the energy used in breaking down the CO₂ and form the basis for a carbon-neutral way to store renewable power.