CO2 REDUCTION INTO SYNGAS USING BIMETALLIC CuZn AS ELECTROCATALYST

Abstract

Concentrations of major greenhouse gases (GHG) continued to rise and were the leading cause of the earth's rising temperatures, with concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere reaching a high record at 417 ppm (parts per million) and respectively, 149%, 262% and 124% of pre-industrial levels. For this reason, the concentration of CO2 has to be reduced, and several methods have been developed and carried out. One effective method is to reduce CO2 into useful chemicals through electrochemical processes. One of the products resulting from CO2 reduction is syngas. To achieve an efficient process with selective products, an appropriate catalyst is needed. In this study, the synthesis of CuZn electrocatalysts was carried out for the reduction of CO2 into syngas. This research consists of catalyst synthesis, electrochemical tests, and, importantly, reduction of gas and liquid product tests. CuZn catalysts were synthesized using the galvanostatic electrodeposition method at a current of -1 A.cm-2 for 30 seconds. CuZn catalysts are synthesized with various variations, namely; Zn100%, Cu25%Zn75%, Cu50%Zn50%, Cu75% Zn25% and Cu100%. The results of the electrochemical test show that increasing the concentration of Zn in the catalyst will increase its electrocatalytic activity. The GC results showed that the CuZn electrocatalyst was a selective catalyst for syngas production, while the HPLC results showed that the CuZn electrocatalyst was not a selective catalyst for formic acid production.