South Korean researchers develop catalyst for CO2 conversion to ethanol
In South Korea, a research team led by Sungkyunkwan University has developed a new catalyst that converts carbon dioxide into ethanol with high selectivity. The study, titled “Atomic-scale Cu–Zn synergy directs asymmetric C–C coupling for ethanol-selective CO2 electroreduction,” was published in Applied Catalysis B: Environment and Energy.
Carbon dioxide is a major greenhouse gas, but it can also be used as a carbon source for producing valuable fuels and chemicals. Ethanol is particularly attractive because it is widely used as a renewable fuel, solvent, disinfectant and industrial raw material. However, conventional CO2 conversion systems often produce several unwanted byproducts, requiring energy-intensive separation and purification processes.
To overcome this challenge, the SKKU research team designed a catalyst in which copper and zinc atoms are positioned directly next to each other on a carbon support. At this extremely small scale, the two metals work together: Zinc helps prepare key reaction intermediates, while copper promotes the formation of carbon-carbon bonds required to produce ethanol.
This cooperative structure directs the reaction more efficiently toward ethanol while reducing the formation of competing products.
The catalyst achieved 69% ethanol Faradaic efficiency in an MEA system. These results demonstrate both high product selectivity and promising operational stability.
Category: Research
