Electrolytic Mineralization of CO2

Curtis Berlinguette*, Gaopeng Jiang, Douglas Pimlott, Samuel Weiss, Siwei Ma, Christopher Waizenegger, Yongwook Kim, Yumeng Yang, Tengxiao Ji, Shaoxuan Ren. Research Square (2024)

Abstract

Natural rock weathering can permanently store CO2 as solid carbonates, but the process is slow. Here, we demonstrate a continuous-flow electrochemical reactor that captures and stores CO2 as inert carbonate minerals. This weathering electrolyzer accelerates rock weathering by electrolytically generating H+ and OH– in chambers separated by a Ca2+-selective membrane. The H+ decomposes silicates into reactive Ca2+ species, while OH– reacts with CO2 and Ca2+ to form CaCO3. This approach enables CO2 mineralization from both flue gas and air without isolating CO2 from conventional capture units.