An individual solid oxide cell (SOC) constructed of a sandwich configuration including in the following order: an oxygen electrode, a solid oxide electrolyte, a fuel electrode, a fuel manifold, and at least one layer of mesh. In one embodiment, the mesh supports a reforming catalyst resulting in a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) having a reformer embedded therein. The reformer-modified SOFC functions internally to steam reform or partially oxidize a gaseous hydrocarbon, e.g. methane, to a gaseous reformate of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, which is converted in the SOC to water, carbon dioxide, or a mixture thereof, and an electrical current. In another embodiment, an electrical insulator is disposed between the fuel manifold and the mesh resulting in a solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC), which functions to electrolyze water and/or carbon dioxide.

An individual solid oxide cell (SOC) constructed of a sandwich configuration including in the following order: an oxygen electrode, a solid oxide electrolyte, a fuel electrode, a fuel manifold, and at least one layer of mesh. In one embodiment, the mesh supports a reforming catalyst resulting in a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) having a reformer embedded therein. The reformer-modified SOFC functions internally to steam reform or partially oxidize a gaseous hydrocarbon, e.g. methane, to a gaseous reformate of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, which is converted in the SOC to water, carbon dioxide, or a mixture thereof, and an electrical current. In another embodiment, an electrical insulator is disposed between the fuel manifold and the mesh resulting in a solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC), which functions to electrolyze water and/or carbon dioxide.

Methods and systems related to the field of carbon capture and utilization are disclosed. Disclosed electrolysis reactors can have a cathode area having a cathode output and a cathode input for an input fluid and an anode area having an anode input and an anode output. The carbon input fluid contains carbon dioxide. The cathode area reduces an oxygen-containing species into hydroxide ions and reacts them with the carbon dioxide to form anions containing carbon. The anode area oxidizes one or more oxidizable species to generate a protonating species. The electrolysis reactors can have a third output for a carbon output fluid. The electrolysis reactors can begin to produce carbon dioxide from the anions containing carbon and the protonating species in response to a potential of less than 1.23 V applied across the cathode terminal and the anode terminal.

Methods and systems related to the field of carbon capture and utilization are disclosed. Disclosed electrolysis reactors can have a cathode area having a cathode output and a cathode input for an input fluid and an anode area having an anode input and an anode output. The carbon input fluid contains carbon dioxide. The cathode area reduces an oxygen-containing species into hydroxide ions and reacts them with the carbon dioxide to form anions containing carbon. The anode area oxidizes one or more oxidizable species to generate a protonating species. The electrolysis reactors can have a third output for a carbon output fluid. The electrolysis reactors can begin to produce carbon dioxide from the anions containing carbon and the protonating species in response to a potential of less than 1.23 V applied across the cathode terminal and the anode terminal.

Disclosed herein is a method for selectively reducing, using electrical energy, CO.sub.2 to carbon monoxide or formic acid, a catalyst for use in the method, and an electrochemical reduction system. The method for producing carbon monoxide or formic acid by electrochemically reducing carbon dioxide of the present invention includes (a) reacting carbon dioxide with a metal complex represented by formula (1), and (b) applying a voltage to a reaction product of the carbon dioxide and the metal complex represented by formula (1):

##STR00001##

Disclosed herein is a method for selectively reducing, using electrical energy, CO.sub.2 to carbon monoxide or formic acid, a catalyst for use in the method, and an electrochemical reduction system. The method for producing carbon monoxide or formic acid by electrochemically reducing carbon dioxide of the present invention includes (a) reacting carbon dioxide with a metal complex represented by formula (1), and (b) applying a voltage to a reaction product of the carbon dioxide and the metal complex represented by formula (1):

##STR00001##

Compositions comprising hydrogenated and dehydrogenated graphite comprising a plurality of flakes. At least one flake in ten has a size in excess of ten square micrometers. For example, the flakes can have an average thickness of 10 atomic layers or less.

Compositions comprising hydrogenated and dehydrogenated graphite comprising a plurality of flakes. At least one flake in ten has a size in excess of ten square micrometers. For example, the flakes can have an average thickness of 10 atomic layers or less.

The present disclosure relates to a method for extracting lithium from a lithium-containing material. For example, the method can comprise leaching a roasted lithium-containing material under conditions suitable to obtain an aqueous composition comprising a lithium compound such as lithium sulfate and/or lithium bisulfate. The aqueous composition comprising lithium sulfate and/or lithium bisulfate can optionally be used, for example, in a method for preparing lithium hydroxide comprising an electromembrane process. The roasted lithium-containing material can be prepared, for example by a method which uses an aqueous composition comprising optionally lithium sulfate and/or lithium bisulfate which can be obtained from a method for preparing lithium hydroxide comprising an electromembrane process such as a two-compartment monopolar or bipolar electrolysis process.

An electrolysis apparatus for producing ammonia, the apparatus comprising: a cathode; an anode; an electrolyte; a current source; a supply for nitrogen; and a supply for an acid, wherein the acid comprises at least one acid selected from the group consisting of: HCl, HBr, and HI.