Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

Asahi Motoshige

Satoshi Mikoshiba

Akihiko Ono

Yuki Kudo

Masakazu Yamagiwa

Ryota Kitagawa

Yoshitsune Sugano

Jun Tamura

Takayuki Tsukagoshi

Eishi Tsutsumi

Yusuke Kofuji

Arisa Yamada

Tomohito Ide

Ryoto Kitagawa

The embodiments provide an electrode catalyst layer for an electrolysis cell, and also an electrolysis cell and a carbon dioxide electrolysis apparatus comprising that layer. The catalyst layer has a controlled porous structure, and can realize a high partial current density. The catalyst layer of the embodiment comprises carbonous catalyst carriers, a metallic catalyst loaded on the carriers, and an ion-conductive material. The catalyst layer contains pores of 5 to 200 μm diameters, and the pores have a volume per weight of the catalyst layer in the range of 3.0 to 10 mL/g in total.

Electrode catalyst layer for carbon dioxide electrolysis cell, electrolysis cell and carbon dioxide electrolysis apparatus comprising the same

An electrochemical reaction device includes: a first reactor including a first room and a second room, the first room being configured to store a gas containing carbon dioxide or a first electrolytic solution containing carbon dioxide, and the second room being configured to store a second electrolytic solution containing water; a cathode disposed in the first room, the cathode being configured to reduce the carbon dioxide and thus produce a reduction product; an anode disposed in the second room, the anode being configured to oxidize the water and thus produce an oxidation product; a first pressure adjuster configured to adjust pressure in the first room; a temperature detector configured to detect a temperature in the first reactor to form a detection signal; and a controller configured to control the pressure adjuster in accordance with the detection signal from the temperature detector.

Electrochemical reaction device

An electrochemical reaction device comprises: an anode to oxidize water; an electrolytic solution flow path facing on the anode and through which an electrolytic solution containing the water flows; a cathode including: a porous conductive layer having first and second surfaces; and a reduction catalyst layer having a third surface disposed on the first surface and containing a reduction catalyst to reduce carbon dioxide; a separator between the anode and the cathode; a power supply connected to the anode and the cathode; and a flow path plate including: a fourth surface on the second surface; and a flow path facing on the second surface and through which the carbon dioxide flows. A ratio of an area of an overlap of the second surface and the flow path to an area of the second surface is 0.5 or more and 0.85 or less.

An electrochemical reaction device in an embodiment includes: a reaction unit including a first accommodation part to accommodate carbon dioxide and a second accommodation part to accommodate an electrolytic solution containing water; a reduction electrode to reduce the carbon dioxide; an oxidation electrode to oxidize the water; a power supply to pass current between the reduction electrode and the oxidation electrode; a pressure regulator to regulate a pressure in the first accommodation part; a reaction product detector to detect at least one of an amount and a kind of a substance produced at the reduction electrode; and a controller to control the pressure regulator based on a detection signal of the reaction product detector.

A carbon dioxide electrolytic device, includes: an electrolysis cell including an anode to oxidize water and thus form oxygen, an anode flow path facing the anode, a cathode to reduce carbon dioxide and thus form a carbon compound, a cathode flow path facing the cathode, and a separator between the anode and the cathode; a cooling flow path provided opposite to the anode flow path or the cathode flow path and connected in parallel to the anode flow path; an anode inflow path connecting an inlet of the anode flow path, an inlet of the cooling flow path, and an outlet of a liquid tank to store a liquid containing water; an anode outflow path connecting an outlet of the anode flow path, an outlet of the cooling flow path, and an inlet of the liquid tank; and a cooler to cool the anode outflow path.

Carbon dioxide electrolytic device and method of electrolyzing carbon dioxide

A reduction catalyst body for carbon dioxide of an embodiment includes a metal layer, and a projection provided on the metal layer. The projection is constituted of an aggregate of fine metal particles, and possesses a polyhedral structure having surfaces of three faces or more of a polygon. The projection has a site of reducing carbon dioxide, as at least a part of the surfaces.

Reduction catalyst body for carbon dioxide and manufacturing method thereof, reduction electrode, and reduction reaction device

A carbon dioxide electrolytic device in an embodiment includes: an electrolysis cell including a cathode including a COgas supply flow path, an anode, and a separator; a COsupply unit configured to supply COgas to the gas supply flow path; and a rinse material supply unit configured to make a rinse material containing HO flow through the COgas supply flow path. The COgas supply flow path includes a first opening provided on one end side, a second opening provided on another end side, and a third opening provided between the first opening and the second opening. The rinse material supply unit is configured to make the rinse material flow at least between the first opening and the third opening of the COgas supply flow path.

Carbon dioxide electrolytic device

A carbon dioxide electrolytic device comprises: an electrolysis cell including a first electrode having a first catalyst to reduce carbon dioxide, a second electrode having a second catalyst to oxidize water or hydroxide ions, a first electrode flow path facing the first electrode, a second electrode flow path facing the second electrode, and a separator separating the first and second electrodes; a power controller; a first flow path through which the carbon dioxide flows; a second flow path through which the carbon compound flows; a third flow path through which an electrolytic solution containing the water flows; a fourth flow path through which the oxygen flows; a first valve to connect the first electrode flow path and the first flow path; a second valve to connect the first electrode flow path and the second flow path; a tank connected to the first electrode flow path and configured to store a rinse solution; and a controller programmed to control opening and closing of the first and second valves in accordance with performance requirements of the electrolysis cell.

A carbon dioxide reduction system comprises: an electrolytic unit including an electrolysis cell having a cathode to reduce a first substance containing carbon dioxide and thus produce a first product containing a carbon compound, and an anode to oxidize a second substance containing water or hydroxide ions and thus produce a second product containing oxygen, a detection unit to acquire data defining operation states of the electrolysis cell, and an electrolytic regulator to regulate electrolysis conditions of the electrolysis cell; a compression unit including a compressor to compress the first product, and a compressor regulator to regulate compression conditions of the first product by the compressor; and a controller programmed to predict a flow rate of the carbon compound discharged from the electrolysis cell in accordance with the data to control regulation of the compression conditions in accordance with the predicted flow rate.

Carbon dioxide electrolytic system

A carbon dioxide electrolytic device includes: an electrolysis cell; a sensor acquiring data indicating a concentration of a first product containing a carbon compound in an anode flow path of the electrolysis cell; a power controller to apply a voltage between an anode and a cathode of the electrolysis cell; a refresh material source including a gas source to supply a gaseous substance to at least one selected from the group consisting of the anode and cathode flow paths, and a solution supply source to supply a rinse solution to at least one selected from the group consisting of the anode and cathode flow paths; and a controller programmed to stop supply of carbon dioxide and an electrolytic solution, and supply the rinse solution to at least one selected from the group consisting of the anode and cathode flow paths from the refresh material source, in accordance with the data.

An electrolytic cell for carbon dioxide of an embodiment includes: an anode part including an anode to oxidize water or a hydroxide ion and thus produce oxygen and an anode solution flow path to supply an anode solution to the anode; a cathode part including a cathode to reduce carbon dioxide and thus produce a carbon compound, a cathode solution flow path to supply a cathode solution to the cathode, a gas flow path to supply the carbon dioxide to the cathode, and a hydrophobic porous body disposed between the cathode and the gas flow path; and a separator to separate the anode part and the cathode part from each other.

Electrolytic cell and electrolytic device for carbon dioxide

A cathode part of an electrochemical reaction device comprises a conductor, a porous body, a reduction catalyst, an electrolytic solution flow path, a first flow path, and a second flow path. The conductor has a conductive surface. The porous body includes a first surface, a second surface, a first porous portion, and a second porous portion. The first surface is in contact with the conductive surface. A contact angle between an inner wall of the second porous portion and water is higher than a contact angle between an inner wall of the first porous portion and the water. The reduction catalyst is supported on the second surface to reduce carbon dioxide. The electrolytic solution flow path faces the reduction catalyst. The first flow path faces the first porous portion. The second flow path faces the second porous portion.

An electrolytic cell for carbon dioxide of an embodiment includes: an anode part including an anode to oxidize water or a hydroxide ion and thus produce oxygen and an anode solution flow path to supply an anode solution to the anode; a cathode part including a cathode to reduce carbon dioxide and thus produce a carbon compound, a cathode solution flow path to supply a cathode solution to the cathode, and a liquid passing member disposed between the cathode and the cathode solution flow path and having a pore allowing the cathode solution to pass through while holding the cathode solution; and a separator to separate the anode part and the cathode part from each other.

An electrochemical reaction device comprises: an anode unit to oxidize water and thus generate oxygen; a cathode unit to reduce carbon dioxide and thus generate a carbon compound and hydrogen; a separator separating the anode and cathode units; and a power supply connected to the anode and cathode units, the cathode unit including: a porous member having a first surface and a second surface; a flow path plate facing the first surface; and a reduction catalyst on the second surface, and the flow path plate including: a flow path through which a target gas containing the carbon dioxide flows; and a porous film separating a first space and a second space inside the flow path and being permeated with an ionic liquid, the ionic liquid being configured to separate the carbon dioxide from the target gas.

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Ota, Japan

Asahi Motoshige