Reduction of Carbon Dioxide to Petrochemical Intermediates

The electrochemical reduction of CO 2 at the Cu electrode was investigated in methanol-based electrolyte using various cesium supporting salts as the ionophore at an extremely low temperature (243 K). Cesium acetate, chloride, bromide, iodide, and thiocyanate were used as the ionophore. The main products from CO 2 by electrochemical reduction were methane, ethylene, ethane, carbon monoxide, and formic acid. In the methanol-based electrolyte using cesium supporting salts, except for acetate, the Faradaic efficiency for ethylene was larger than that for methane. This research can contribute to large-scale manufacturing of petrochemical interme diate products, such as methane and ethylene, from readily available and cheap raw materials: CO 2 -saturated methanol from industrial absorbers (the Rectisol process). Thus the synthesis of hydrocarbons by the electrochemical reduction of CO 2 may be of practical interest for fuel production, storage of solar energy, and production of intermediate materials for the petrochemical industry.