Integrated capture and solar-driven utilization of CO2 from flue gas and air

Abstract

It is becoming likely that a net carbon zero future will rely on the recycling of atmospheric CO2 to produce sustainable fuels and chemicals. Nevertheless, current processes for CO2 utilization use concentrated CO2 streams and are not integrated with the capture of dilute CO2 sources. At the same time, recycling of waste plastics is critical to protect our environment from irreversible damages. We report an integrated photoelectrochemical system that captures CO2 from exhaust stream concentrations and ambient air and directly converts it into synthesis gas (CO + H2, a precursor of industrial liquid fuel production) using sunlight. This process is coupled to and benefits from the concurrent valorization of plastic waste, which is upcycled to a commodity chemical glycolic acid. The overall technology thus produces value-added fuels and chemicals directly from industrially relevant CO2 streams and plastic waste, powered solely by sunlight at ambient temperature and pressure, and is an important step toward a circular economy.