Tandem water electrolysis: A sustainable solution for carbon capture and utilization

Abstract

The rapid growth of industry worldwide has led to a notable increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels, a key driver of global warming. In response, there is an increasing interest in converting CO2 into valuable products using biological catalysts in electrochemistry, specifically through a process known as tandem water electrolysis. This review assesses recent progress in the conversion of CO2 to methane, acetate, formate, alcohols (methanol, ethanol, butanol), and acids, with an emphasis on the factors that influence microbial activity in microbial electrosynthesis. Microbial electrosynthesis method is an environmentally benign, straightforward, and low-cost technology that operates at ambient temperature. The principal findings of this study highlight the efficacy of microbial electrosynthesis as a feasible and sustainable method for CO2 conversion. Additionally, future prospects and strategies to enhance the application of microbial electrosynthesis are discussed. © 2024 Elsevier Ltd