Unlocking the potential of CO2 conversion to fuels and chemicals as an economically viable route to CCR

CO2 conversion to fuels and chemicals has the potential to treat hundreds of millions of tons of CO2 annually, but so far, the process has never been economic. This paper will consider a new process for carbon capture and recycling in which CO2 is captured, and is subsequently converted to fuels and chemicals using a low temperature, low pressure, electrochemical process running on renewable energy. The key advantage of the process is that it offers a potential economic route for CO2 conversion to high value chemicals. Preliminary cost modelling indicates that the process is likely to be economic at current CO2 separation costs ($60/MT) even in the absence of carbon credits. (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.