Electrical Intensification of CO2 Reduction Electrolysis

Nature has been in balance for tens of thousands of years, but since the Industrial Revolution mankind has been disturbing this balance by utilizing fossil fuels for technological advancement and for societal prosperity (Chapter 1). Fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas were able to power newly found inventions like the steam and combustion engines. Through oxidation their stored energy could be released and as waste greenhouse gasses, predominantly carbon dioxide (CO2), were produced and ejected into the atmosphere. While initially the impact of our activities was unnoticeable, the continuously increasing world population and its energy demand has led to such a severe amount of emissions that the accumulation of CO2 in the atmosphere started to impact natures balance. International agreements, such as CO2 neutrality by 2050, have been made to phase out fossil fuels and implementing renewable energy technologies as substitutes. However, the phasing out of fossil fuels takes a long time to be realized due to both technological and economic reason. Furthermore, some essential chemical industries rely on carbon-based reagents to produce commodity products and need to find an attractive, non-fossil based process to continue in a sustainable manner. In order to still achieve the climate goals that have been set, alternative technologies to mitigate emissions are being researched, and this is where this doctoral thesis enters the stage...