Electrochemical conversion of CO2 to CO in organic electrolyte with Cl2 and NaHCO3 produced as byproducts

A novel membrane electrolysis cell has been designed to convert CO 2 into CO in organic electrolyte, with Cl 2 produced on the anode from NaCl oxidation in aqueous solution. The obtained CO and Cl 2 can be used as the feedstock to produce phosgene. Phosgene is a widely used acylating agent in a chemical industry, which can be used as feedstock to produce numerous high-value chemicals. Through this route, CO 2 can be converted into useful chemical, with huge economic profits created in this process. Our experiment results demonstrate that CO 2 can be efficiently converted into CO in our designed electrolyzer, and NaCl can be efficiently oxidized to Cl 2 . During long-term electrolysis process, NaHCO 3 is generated and accumulated between the membrane and the cathode. This phenomenon provides clear evidence for us to better understand the mechanism of CO 2 electro-reduction in organic electrolyte.