From waste CO2 into valuable chemicals
An Australian-designed electrochemical generator promises a safer and more environmentally friendly pathway to convert waste CO2 into useful products.
Using only carbon dioxide, water and electricity, Australian scientists have developed a method to produce industrial chemicals often used in pharmaceuticals, agriculture and textiles, while reducing the need for fossil-fuel‑based chemical manufacturing. This is thanks to an electrochemical generator powered by electricity and requiring only water and captured carbon dioxide to create formate, which is the base compound for formic acid.
“With basic ingredients and the push of a button, we are able to deliver chemicals that are hugely important for a number of industries,” said Professor Xiwang Zhang, who designed the generator along with Dr Mike Tebyetekerwa and PhD student Rizal Evans from The University of Queensland’s School of Chemical Engineering. “It demonstrates that carbon dioxide can be reused, rather than treated solely as a waste product.”
Australia currently imports almost all of its formic acid, which is commonly used in agriculture, leather tanning, rubber manufacturing and other industrial processes, something which, the researchers say, leaves local industry vulnerable to external supply disruptions. “There are industries that need formic acid, and others that have large amounts of CO2 they want to manage,” Zhang said.
“This technology creates an opportunity to connect those two challenges,” Zhang added. The generator has been designed to be modular, something that, depending on industry needs, allows it to be scaled up or down.
“Instead of transporting and storing large volumes of formic acid, the idea is that it could be produced where it is needed,” Tebyetekerwa said. “That has implications for safety, supply security and emissions, particularly for industries that already produce CO2 as part of their operations.”
Regarding potential applications, Evans said these range from resource and energy sectors to agriculture and livestock production. “We have already had a resource company enquire about using it to produce formic acid as an antifreeze for its pipes,” Evans said.
Still in the testing phase, Evans added that the technology is “not quite ready yet for commercial use”. Field trials with industry partners would be required to assess how the generator performs under real‑world conditions and how it could be adapted to different industrial settings, the researchers said.
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