The rise of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies, such as Direct Air Capture (DAC) and Direct Ocean Capture, offers potential to address the growing levels of atmospheric CO₂. However, storing captured CO₂ underground has risks of leaks or groundwater contamination and a lack of economic viability. As a result, carbon capture and storage (CCS) is increasingly seen as an unsustainable solution.
A more promising approach involves converting captured CO₂ into value-added chemicals and sustainable fuels. Based on our research of carbon neutral fuel companies, feedstocks of CO₂ and hydrogen (H₂) or CO₂ and water (H₂O) can be converted to carbon neutral fuels. We have delivered the analysis report of synthesis of carbon neutral fuels through CO₂ and H₂. Here, we illustrate the companies’ pathways that utilize CO₂ and H₂O to synthesize sustainable chemical fuels, including syngas, alcohols, and ethylene, through CO₂ electrolysis, thermal catalytic processes, and plasma-driven reactions.
CO₂ electrolysis can leverage renewable electricity to reduce CO₂ at the cathode and oxidize water at the anode, producing syngas (H₂ + carbon monoxide), methanol, ethylene, or ethylene glycol. For example, Sora Fuel uses a bipolar membrane-based bicarbonate electrolyzer to convert water and CO₂ from the DAC unit into syngas.
Thermal catalytic processes, by contrast, rely on high temperatures and specialized catalysts to drive reactions between CO₂ and water, primarily yielding syngas. For example, OMC Thermochemistry develops a thermochemical fluidized bed reactor that utilizes cost-effective, abundant porous iron aluminate material to convert water and CO₂ into syngas with high yields.
Plasma-based systems ionize gases to generate reactive species (e.g., ions, electrons), enabling CO₂ and water conversion into syngas. For example, CAPHENIA develops a Plasma Boudouard Reactor (PBR) that converts CO₂, methane (or biogas), and steam to high-quality syngas.
We analyze the following companies’ technologies that utilize CO₂ and H₂O to synthesize sustainable chemical fuels through CO₂ electrolysis, thermal catalytic processes, and plasma-driven reactions.
(This article contains 9 diagrams and 2153 words.)
CO₂ electrolysis
Carbonade and Sora Fuel use a bipolar membrane (BPM)-based bicarbonate electrolyzer that integrates with a DAC unit to convert atmospheric CO₂ into syngas (a mixture of CO and H₂). The system is depicted in the diagram below.