Electroreduction of CO2 to CO Paired with 1,2-Propanediol Oxidation to Lactic Acid. Toward an Economically Feasible System

In industrial electrochemical processes it is of paramount importance to achieve an efficient and selective process to produce valuable chemicals while minimizing the energy input. Although the electrochemical reduction of CO2 has received a lot of attention in the last decades, an economically feasible process has not been developed yet. A strategy to make the reduction of CO2 economically more attractive might be the pairing of the reduction reaction to an oxidation reaction where a valuable product is formed. Typically, the electrochemical reduction of CO2 is paired to water oxidation, where oxygen is formed. Co-production of a high added value product on the anode side of the electrolyzer, instead of production of oxygen, can improve significantly the economic feasibility for CO2 reduction. Importantly, both reactions need to be chosen wisely based on their compatibility and based on a minimization of the voltage needed for the redox system. In this study, as an example, we demonstrate a suitable matc...