Electrochemical CO₂ conversion in eutectic Li-Ba and Li-Ca carbonate mixtures

Here, the impact of electrolyte selection and electrolysis temperature on carbon morphology, energy consumption, and voltage efficiency in molten Li₂CO₃-BaCO₃ and Li₂CO₃-CaCO₃ electrolytes during 90 min 10 A constant current electrolysis are investigated. The scarcity of experimental investigations into these binary electrolytes, coupled with a lack of systematic investigation of temperature effects, necessitates further examination. The comprehensive analysis of the produced carbon reveals that both electrolyte composition and temperature influence carbon morphology. At lower temperatures the effect of electrolyte composition to the morphology is a more significant. The type and amount of metallic impurities mixed with the carbon vary depending on the electrolyte composition and electrolysis temperatures. The results from Li₂CO₃-CaCO₃ electrolyte show more promising compared to results from Li₂CO₃-BaCO₃ electrolyte in terms of product quality. Regarding electrolysis power and voltage efficiency, Li₂CO₃-CaCO₃ proves equal or superior to other electrolytes, depending on temperature. Heat generation occurs in all the experiments, which emphasizes the importance maintaining a constant electrolysis temperature in industrial processes to manage heat generation effectively.