ELECTROCATALYTIC CONVERSION OF CO2 EMISSIONS FROM VODKA PRODUCTION

Abstract

Every year, thousands of tons of CO2 are released the atmosphere, having detrimental on the environment, including high temperatures, erratic weather, and rising sea levels. Though an ideal solution is to completely replace any process that produces CO2 with a more sustainable process, it simply is not feasible due to the advanced infrastructure of societies today. A proposed method of CO2 reduction is to use CO2 as a raw material for other chemicals and processes. As such, this paper details the electrocatalytic conversion of CO2 emissions into ethylene, which is used as a precursor in plastics manufacturing. The process detailed in this report is designed to utilize CO2 from a vodka plant located in Austin, TX. CO2 is humidified with water before being sent to an Anion Exchange Membrane (AEM) electrolyzer, where using copper catalysts, it is converted into several different products, but primarily ethylene (C2H4). To be competitive within the market, C2H4 must be at least 99.9% pure. Thus, a series of separation processes, including a knockout drum and two cryogenic distillation columns, were designed to isolate C2H4, achieving 99.9% purity. When using wind energy, this process is carbon negative, proving that utilization of CO2 emissions from vodka production can remove approximately 28 million kg of CO2 every year.