Disclosed herein is a method of recovering lithium or sodium from an active material of a lithium or sodium ion battery. In a preferred embodiment, the method comprises a redox-targeting reaction of a used active material LiFeP04 with a redox mediator [Fe(CN).sub.6].sup.3− in a tank to produce lithium ions, circulating the reacted redox solution into a cell to regenerate said redox mediator and enabling said lithium ions to migrate through a membrane towards a cathode wherein said lithium ions are captured as LiOH through an electrochemical reaction.

Systems and methods for increasing the concentration of a desired product in gas phase output streams of CO.sub.x electrolyzers are described.

Provided is a synthesis method comprising a first step of producing a carbonate compound from carbon monoxide and an alcohol-based compound at an anode of a first electrochemical cell comprising a cathode and the anode, and a second step of synthesizing a first product by a dealcoholization reaction of the carbonate compound, wherein an alcohol-based compound eliminated in the second step is recycled in the first step.

A method for operating a water electrolysis device for produces hydrogen and oxygen from water. A throughflow direction is reversed by way of a suitable activation of valves (17, 18) in order to increase a service life of a PEM electrolyzer (1). This is effected periodically such that an equal throughflow in both directions is effected, by which the service life is increased.

Described herein are techniques for converting carbonate in a carbonate loaded solution into syngas or C2+ products within an electrolysis cell that includes a cathodic compartment, an anodic compartment and preferably a bipolar membrane separating the compartments. The carbonate ions are converted in situ by reaction with protons generated by the bipolar membrane to produce CO.sub.2 that is in turn electrocatalytically converted into the product. The electrolysis cell can be coupled to an air or flue gas capture system that produces the carbonate loaded solution, and the depleted solution released by the electrolysis cell can be recycled back into the capture system and the feed of the electrolysis cell. The cathode can include a porous substrate that is hydrophilic, and a catalyst metal deposited on the substrate can be Cu, Ag or an alloy depending on the target product.

The invention provides a method of continuous electrochemical dinitrogen reduction to produce ammonia, the method comprising: supplying dinitrogen to an electrochemical cell comprising an electrolyte in contact with at least a cathode; introducing protons to the electrolyte by anodic oxidation of a hydrogen-containing species; and cathodically reducing the dinitrogen in the presence of a metal selected from lithium, magnesium, calcium, strontium, barium, zinc, aluminium and vanadium to produce ammonia, wherein the electrolyte comprises a cationic proton carrier capable of reversible deprotonation to form a neutral proton acceptor, wherein the neutral proton acceptor is an ylide.

A synthetic fuel production system and related techniques are disclosed. In accordance with some embodiments, the disclosed system may be configured to produce a liquid fuel using carbon dioxide extracted from the air and hydrogen generated from aqueous solutions by electrochemical means (e.g., water electrolysis). In production of the fuel, the disclosed system may be configured, in accordance with some embodiments, to react the carbon dioxide and hydrogen, for example, to form methanol. The disclosed system also may be configured, in accordance with some embodiments, to utilize one or more subsequent reaction steps to produce a given targeted set of hydrocarbons and partially oxidized hydrocarbons. For example, the disclosed system may be used to produce any one (or combination) of: ethanol; dimethyl ether; formic acid; formaldehyde; alkanes of various chain length; olefines; aliphatic and aromatic carbon compounds; and mixtures thereof, such as gasoline fuels, diesel fuels, and jet fuels.

The invention relates to a device for forming concretions in an electrolytic medium by electrolysis, which comprises an anode 110 and a cathode 120 submerged in the electrolytic medium and a regulating circuit 100 configured to regulate an electrolysis current in order to form concretions on the cathode 120.

The anode 110 and the cathode 120 are used as a current source for supplying the electrolysis process and are connected in the regulating circuit by at least one regulating element capable of limiting the electrolysis current.

Disclosed is a purification method of electrolytic gas generated from an electrolysis cell having a cathode and an anode. In a step of performing electrolysis of an electrolyte solution supplied into the electrolysis cell and repeating the electrolysis while circulating the electrolyzed electrolyte solution via an circulation tank disposed outside the electrolysis cell, a bag-shaped membrane pack, which is made from a specific porous membrane material, is of a shape having an opening at a top end thereof and closed at an entire side wall and entire bottom wall thereof and has a large permeation area at the entire side wall and entire bottom wall, is disposed in an interior of the circulation tank, thereby enabling to perform the electrolysis while purifying the electrolyte solution in which a portion of the electrolytic gas generated by the electrolysis is dissolved and bubbles of another portion of the electrolytic gas coexist.

Described herein are systems and methods for the management and control of electrolyte within confined electrochemical cells or groups (e.g. stacks) of connected electrochemical cells, for example, in an electrolyzer. Various embodiments of systems and methods provide for the elimination of parasitic conductive paths between cells, and/or precise passive control of fluid pressures within cells. In some embodiments, a fixed volume of electrolyte is substantially retained within each cell while efficiently collecting and removing produced gases or other products from the cell.