Electrochemical valorization of captured CO: recent advances and future perspectives.

The excessive emission of CO has led to severe climate change, prompting global concern. Capturing CO and converting it through electrochemistry into value-added products represent promising approaches to mitigating CO emissions and closing the carbon cycle. Traditionally, these two processes have been performed independently, involving multiple steps, high energy consumption, and low efficiency. Recently, the electrochemical conversion of captured CO, which integrates the capture and conversion processes (also referred to as electrochemically reactive CO capture), has garnered increasing attention. This integrated approach bypasses the energy-intensive steps involved in the traditional independent process, including CO release, purification, compression, transportation, and storage. In this review, we discuss recent advances in the electrochemical conversion of captured CO, focusing on four key aspects. First, we introduce various capture media, emphasizing the thermodynamic aspects of carbon capture and their implications for integration with electrochemical conversion. Second, we discuss product control mediated by the selection of different catalysts, highlighting the connections between the conversion of captured CO and gas-fed CO. Third, we examine the effect of reactor systems and operational conditions on the electrochemical conversion of captured CO, shedding light on performance optimization. Finally, we explore real integration systems for CO capture and electrochemical conversion, revealing the potential of this new technology for practical applications. Overall, we provide insights into the existing challenges, potential solutions, and thoughts on opportunities and future directions in the emerging field of electrochemical conversion of captured CO.