GIST Research Team Produces Eco-Friendly Car Fuel 'Butanol' from Carbon Dioxide

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Gwan-woo] Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) announced on the 12th that the research team led by Professor Lee Jae-young of the Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering has developed a technology to efficiently produce eco-friendly butanol, which can be used as fuel for automobiles, through a carbon dioxide recycling process.

Carbon dioxide recycling is a technology that electrochemically converts carbon dioxide into high value-added organic compounds for production and reuse.

The research team improved the butanol production efficiency by 70 times compared to existing methods by controlling the carbon monoxide adsorption species (*CO), which is the rate-determining step in the conversion process of carbon dioxide into multi-carbon organic compounds, using an electrochemical catalyst of copper (Cu) metal doped with phosphorus (P).

Butanol (C4H9OH) is a transportation energy source that can replace gasoline, with a high energy density enabling high fuel efficiency.

It is not only a component of paint, ink, and bond but also can be used as a cleaning agent for semiconductors and precision machinery, and is utilized in food, soap, and cosmetics.

In addressing climate change, the greatest issue of the 21st century, it is essential to reduce greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, the main cause of global warming, while securing high value-added organic compounds that can only be produced through petrochemical processes to enter a carbon-neutral society.

The conversion process that increases the number of carbons in carbon dioxide (CO2) to 2 or 3 has low reaction selectivity and efficiency, requiring additional separation and concentration processes in the later stages.

Recently, there was the first report of butanol production through electrochemical carbon dioxide conversion using copper catalysts, but the conversion efficiency for C2 and C3 organic compounds such as ethylene, ethanol, and propanol showed about 10-50%, similar to the research team’s previous results.

In particular, the Faradaic efficiency for butanol was confirmed to be 0.056%, a level that is very difficult to detect.

The research team confirmed a butanol production efficiency 70 times higher (3.868%) than before by improving the reaction pathway through increasing the surface oxygen affinity using a copper phosphide (CuP2) catalyst, creating an environment where not only electrochemical reactions but also spontaneous chemical reactions can occur from carbon dioxide.

This figure is significant in that it was derived using an electrode catalyst with an area about 10 times larger than previous studies.

Professor Lee Jae-young said, “We have made it possible to utilize carbon dioxide, known as a cause of global warming, as a high value-added eco-friendly resource,” adding, “We hope to mass-produce butanol, a future hydrogen energy source, through large-area electrode catalysts and process improvements, and use it in eco-friendly internal combustion engine vehicles.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.