Publication date: 7th June 2020
Electrochemical CO2 conversion to valuable chemicals represents a promising approach to help address global challenges in energy. Metal catalysts have shown outstanding potential in this reaction. In the meantime, many countries are facing a shortage of metal materials supply. Recycling of waste from the metallurgical industry is becoming the priority solution. Herein, we integrate industrial waste recycling and electrochemical CO2 reduction. A series of bimetallic Cu/Pb catalysts with controllable structures and metal ratios are simply fabricated, from fayalitic slags which are residues of the zinc industry. Among these catalysts, the Cu9.0Pb1.0 shows a good selectivity towards CO and C2H4 in electrochemical CO2 reduction. The novel selectivity might be attributed to the electronic effect arising from the coexistence of Cu and Pb.
This work was supported by Socrates Program funded from the European Union's EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation Horizon 2020 under Grant Agreement No 721385.