Research shows that CO₂ electrolysis can become more efficient if, instead of traditional water splitting, it is paired with other reactions – for example, glycerol oxidation.
This way:
- less energy might be required,
- and valuable products can also be generated
- while utilizing a byproduct of an industrial process.
The technology has already been demonstrated under laboratory conditions, but large-scale industrial application still faces many challenges. The recent article of Attila Kormányos, Adrienn Szirmai, Balázs Endrődi and Csaba Janáky in the prestigious Joule journal explores what innovations are needed for paired CO₂ electrolysis to become a truly green and economically viable solution in practice.
The key is holistic system development – from catalysts to cell design and operating conditions, all factors are interconnected thus, need to evolve in harmony.
This could be an important step toward a sustainable and climate-neutral future!
Read the article here: https://www.cell.com/joule/fulltext/S2542-4351(25)00277-6
