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Photocatalytic, electrocatalytic and photoelectrocatalytic conversion of carbon dioxide: a review

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Abstract

CO2 emission is partly responsible for climate change induced by greenhouse effects. Carbon capture, utilization and storage is a major pathway to reduce CO2 emission. This article reviews conversion of CO2 into value-added products by photocatalytic, electrocatalytic and photoelectrocatalytic processes, which involve a catalyst, a reducing agent, an electrolyte and a reactor. An ideal catalyst should be cheap, abundant, non-toxic, less corrosive and chemically stable. Doping various catalysts can increase product yields up to 207 times. Furthermore, monolith reactors generated 23 times and 14 times higher yields than slurry and cell reactors, respectively. Photoelectrocatalytic conversion standout because it combines the advantages of photocatalytic and electrocatalytic processes such as high product yield and selectivity, no electrical energy required, cost-effectiveness, more catalysts option and no sacrificial donor.

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Reproduced with permission from Li et al. (2016)

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Reproduced with permission from Birdja et al. (2019)

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Reproduced with permission from Seh et al. (2017)

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Reproduced with permission from Wang et al. (2019e)

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Abbreviations

CB:

Conduction band

CCUS:

Carbon capture, utilization and storage

CO2 :

Carbon dioxide

CO2RR:

CO2 reduction reaction

DEMS:

Differential electrochemical mass spectrometry

FE:

Faradaic efficiency

G:

Graphene

GERS:

Graphene-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

GO:

Graphene oxide

HER:

Hydrogen evolution reaction

IPCC:

International Panel of Climate Change

KBH:

Potassium borohydride

MOF:

Metal–organic framework

MWCNTs:

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes

NHE:

Normal hydrogen electrodes

PEM:

Polymer electrolyte membrane

PMOF:

Porphyrin-based metal–organic framework

rGO:

Reduced graphene oxide

SOEC:

Solid oxide electrolytic cell

TEOA:

Triethanolamine

TiO2 :

Titanium dioxide

USEPA:

United States Environmental Protection Agency

VB:

Valence band

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. U1710108).

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Correspondence to Yangxian Liu.

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Ochedi, F.O., Liu, D., Yu, J. et al. Photocatalytic, electrocatalytic and photoelectrocatalytic conversion of carbon dioxide: a review. Environ Chem Lett 19, 941–967 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-020-01131-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-020-01131-5

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