Electrochemical Reduction of CO2 Enriched in Switchable Polarity Solvents

TECHNOLOGY LICENSING OPPORTUNITY

Electrochemical Reduction of CO2 Enriched in Switchable Polarity Solvents

For biorefineries who are dissatisfied with the cost and carbon efficiency of current CO2 conversion technologies. This technology is a new conversion process using switchable polarity solvents that provides an increased conversion rate and lowered capital equipment cost.

Image 1: INL Researcher Birendra Adhikari works through the electrochemical process

Opportunity:   Idaho National Laboratory (INL), managed and operated by Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC (BEA), is offering the opportunity to enter into a license and/or collaborative research agreement to commercialize this CO2 reduction technology.  

Overview:        This technology is a process that converts CO2 to beneficial products to ultimately produce fuel and chemical intermediates. Current conversion technologies such as fermentation and pyrolysis suffer from low carbon efficiency. INL’s process increases the conversion rate which lowers capital equipment cost.

Description:    Biomass conversion to fuels and products is growing as an alternative to fossil sources. While biomass has a promising future, conversion technologies such as fermentation and pyrolysis suffer from low carbon efficiency. INL’s process would efficiently convert CO2 to beneficial products, through syngas, to ultimately produce fuel and chemical intermediates. The impetus is to improve carbon efficiency, improve biorefinery economics, and reduce GHG emissions. The electrochemical process is driven by electricity derived from solar, wind, or hydro power. This process uses a switchable polarity solvent (SPS) to enrich CO2 in a liquid, which can be liberated to CO2 at the active surface. 

Benefits:          Benefits include:

• Increased conversion rate
• Lowered capital equipment cost
• Does not require electrolyte additions
• Reduced resistive losses

Applications:   Applications include:

• Biorefineries
• Syngas conversion

Development Status:  TRL 2. Parts of this technology have been developed at INL but the combined process has not been demonstrated. The use of the SPS to increase the reduction rate has been tested.

IP Status:        Patent Application No. PCT/US18/53381, “Methods and Systems for he Electrochemical Reduction of Carbon Dioxide using Switchable Polarity Materials,” BEA Docket No. BA-908

Additional Information

• Video: https://youtu.be/afpmQGqRcr8

INL is seeking to license the above intellectual property to a company with a demonstrated ability to bring such inventions to the market. Exclusive rights in defined fields of use may be available.

Please visit Technology Deployment’s website at https://inl.gov/inl-initiatives/technology-deployment for more information on working with INL and the industrial partnering and technology transfer process.

Companies interested in learning more about this licensing opportunity should contact Ryan Bills at td@inl.gov or 208-526-1896.