SBIR Phase I: Novel electrolyzer architectures to enable electrified chemical manufacturing at industrial scales

SBIR 第一阶段：新型电解槽架构，实现工业规模的电气化化学制造

• 批准号: 2321842
• 负责人: Bilen Akuzum
• 金额: $ 27.5万
• 依托单位: AEPNUS TECHNOLOGY INC
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-09-15 至 2024-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2321842&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; Novel; electrolyzer; architectures

The broader/commercial impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is the creation of an economical and climate-friendly method to produce valuable commodity chemicals from inexpensive feedstocks such as chemical waste streams. Chemical manufacturing accounts for 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions: waste produced from manufacturing battery chemicals and recycling Lithium batteries could be converted back into input chemicals. The technology focuses on developing new electrodes that use electricity to produce acid and base from sulfate-containing waste streams. This innovation will stimulate the US manufacturing sector by improving energy efficiency, competitiveness, and environmental sustainability. This technology could eliminate 3 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions through electrification of chemical manufacturing, while recycling or eliminating the production of a hazardous waste. Moreover, the technology is more economical than current methods, increasing the likelihood of widespread adoption. Replacing outdated manufacturing plants with clean, efficient electrolysis systems would provide high-paying jobs and tax revenue for the region.Conventional salt electrolysis systems rely on titanium electrodes coated with a precious metal catalyst (e.g., iridium oxide) to enable efficient operation. The metal catalysts used for these coatings are expensive, rare, and fragile. This means that the capital cost of existing salt splitting systems is high, while their operating conditions (e.g., temperature, current density, and operating efficiency) are fairly limited. This innovation will develop gas diffusion electrodes that can help produce acid and base electrolytically from sulfate waste streams at industrial cost parity. The unique microstructure and materials design of the electrodes minimizes the use of precious metal catalysts to lower costs, enhances lifetime for robust operation under corrosive environments, and achieves higher operating temperature (75 C) and improved current density (5000 A/m2) for lower operating costs. In this project, Design-of-Experiment principles will be used to determine the best combinations of binder, catalyst, and filler/support materials to outperform conventional systems. Optimal chemical and electrochemical properties will be sought for high electrical conductivity, ability to withstand corrosion in highly acidic environments, and minimal oxidative dissolution of catalyst. The durability and efficiency of the new electrodes will be tested first at the lab scale (25 cm2) for 100 hours and then scaled up to 500 cm2 cells for pilot-scale analysis. In all studies, actual sodium sulfate waste obtained from industrial partners will be utilized. The effects of impurities ions in the feed stream on the electrode and membranes will be tracked via spectroscopy and electron microscopy.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该小企业创新研究 (SBIR) 第一阶段项目的更广泛/商业影响是创建一种经济且气候友好的方法，利用化学废物流等廉价原料生产有价值的商品化学品。化学品制造占全球温室气体排放量的 8%：制造电池化学品和回收锂电池产生的废物可以转化回输入化学品。该技术的重点是开发新的电极，利用电力从含硫酸盐的废物流中产生酸和碱。这项创新将通过提高能源效率、竞争力和环境可持续性来刺激美国制造业。该技术可以通过化学制造的电气化消除30亿吨温室气体排放，同时回收或消除危险废物的产生。此外，该技术比现有方法更经济，增加了广泛采用的可能性。用清洁、高效的电解系统取代过时的制造工厂将为该地区提供高薪就业机会和税收。传统的盐电解系统依靠涂有贵金属催化剂（例如氧化铱）的钛电极来实现高效运行。用于这些涂层的金属催化剂昂贵、稀有且易碎。这意味着现有的盐分解系统的资本成本很高，而其操作条件（例如温度、电流密度和操作效率）相当有限。这项创新将开发气体扩散电极，有助于以工业成本平价从硫酸盐废物流中电解生产酸和碱。电极独特的微观结构和材料设计最大限度地减少了贵金属催化剂的使用，从而降低了成本，延长了在腐蚀环境下稳健运行的使用寿命，并实现了更高的工作温度 (75 C) 和改进的电流密度 (5000 A/m2)，以降低成本。运营成本。在该项目中，将使用实验设计原理来确定粘合剂、催化剂和填料/支撑材料的最佳组合，以超越传统系统。我们将寻求最佳的化学和电化学性能，以实现高导电性、在高酸性环境中耐受腐蚀的能力以及催化剂的最小氧化溶解。新电极的耐用性和效率将首先在实验室规模（25 cm2）上进行 100 小时的测试，然后扩大到 500 cm2 电池进行中试规模分析。在所有研究中，将利用从工业合作伙伴处获得的实际硫酸钠废物。将通过光谱学和电子显微镜跟踪进料流中的杂质离子对电极和膜的影响。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优点和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。