Disclosed are membrane electrode assemblies having a cathode layer comprising a carbon oxide reduction catalyst that promotes reduction of a carbon oxide; an anode layer comprising a catalyst that promotes oxidation of a water; a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) layer disposed between, and in contact with, the cathode layer and the anode layer; and a salt having a concentration of at least about 10 uM in at least a portion of the MEA.

Disclosed are membrane electrode assemblies having a cathode layer comprising a carbon oxide reduction catalyst that promotes reduction of a carbon oxide; an anode layer comprising a catalyst that promotes oxidation of a water; a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) layer disposed between, and in contact with, the cathode layer and the anode layer; and a salt having a concentration of at least about 10 uM in at least a portion of the MEA.

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.

This application relates to new process that utilizes electrodes that incorporate acids that facilitate upgrading of methane and other low molecular weight alkanes to higher order hydrocarbon molecules, such as paraffins, olefins, and aromatics, at temperatures less than 250° C. A primary focus of the invention includes methane conversion to ethylene. The first step of the process includes acid containing electrodes that facilitate the activation of the alkane in the anode layer of the electrochemical reactor. Subsequent steps include the separation of protons from produced longer chain hydrocarbons followed by subsequent electrochemical reduction of the protons to yield hydrogen at the cathode or protons combined with oxygen at the cathode to yield water. The reaction steps in the anode upgrade methane to higher order hydrocarbon products.

A carbon dioxide gas phase reduction device includes an oxidation tank including an oxidation electrode, a reduction tank to which carbon dioxide is supplied, an intermediate tank that is disposed between the oxidation tank and the reduction tank and capable of pouring and discharging an electrolytic solution, an ion exchange membrane disposed between the oxidation tank and the intermediate tank, a gas reduction sheet in which an ion exchange membrane and a reduction electrode are laminated and which is disposed between the reduction tank and the intermediate tank with the ion exchange membrane facing the intermediate tank and the reduction electrode facing the reduction tank, and a conducting wire connecting the oxidation electrode to the reduction electrode.

A carbon dioxide gas phase reduction device includes an oxidation tank including an oxidation electrode, a reduction tank to which carbon dioxide is supplied, an intermediate tank that is disposed between the oxidation tank and the reduction tank and capable of pouring and discharging an electrolytic solution, an ion exchange membrane disposed between the oxidation tank and the intermediate tank, a gas reduction sheet in which an ion exchange membrane and a reduction electrode are laminated and which is disposed between the reduction tank and the intermediate tank with the ion exchange membrane facing the intermediate tank and the reduction electrode facing the reduction tank, and a conducting wire connecting the oxidation electrode to the reduction electrode.

A process and related electrode composition are disclosed for the electrocatalytic hydrogenation and/or hydrodeoxygenation of biomass-derived bio-oil components by the production of hydrogen atoms on a catalyst surface followed by the reaction of the hydrogen atoms with the organic compounds in bio-oil. The catalyst is a metal supported on a monolithic high surface area material such as activated carbon cloth. Electrocatalytic hydrogenation and/or hydrodeoxygenation stabilizes the bio-oil under mild conditions to reduce coke formation and catalyst deactivation. The process converts oxygen-containing functionalities and unsaturated bonds into chemically reduced forms with an increased hydrogen content. The process is operated at mild conditions, which enables it to be a good means for stabilizing bio-oil to a form that can be stored and transported using metal containers and pipes.

A cathode electrode for a gas diffusion electrolytic flow cell that produces a carbon dioxide reduction product by reducing carbon dioxide, wherein the cathode electrode comprises a catalyst layer having a metal complex catalyst, a carbon material and an alkali metal salt, and a gas diffusion layer disposed on the catalyst layer.

To improve the efficiency of a reduction reaction. A power source applies a voltage to an oxidation electrode immersed in an aqueous solution in an oxidation tank and a reduction electrode immersed in an aqueous solution in a reduction tank, the voltage having a voltage value that changes with a predetermined cycle to be a voltage value at which ions can be desorbed from a surface of the oxidation electrode and a surface of the reduction electrode during one cycle of the voltage change. The frequency of the voltage is set within a range of 10 Hz to 1 kHz.

An organic hydride generation system includes an electrolytic bath, a main power supplier, an auxiliary power supplier, a detector to detect a voltage of the electrolytic bath, a potential of an anode electrode, or a potential of a cathode electrode, and a controller to control the supply of power to the electrolytic bath. When it is detected that the voltage or the potential has changed to a specified value during operation stop of the organic hydride generation system in which the power from the main power supplier is not supplied to the electrolytic bath, the controller controls the auxiliary power supplier so as to supply the power to the electrolytic bath.