Electrochemical reduction of CO₂ into formate by using ionic liquid

Abstract

The electrochemical reduction of CO₂ into HCOO- on platinum are well described in the literature. This work aims to develop and characterize platinum as a cathode material and describe a suitable ionic liquid supporting electrolyte for CO₂ solvation. The catholyte to be explored is [BMIM][TF2N] while the anolyte will remain as KOH. The reactor is batch type with separation of the catholyte and anolyte achieved using a Nafion membrane.CO₂ gas will be bubbled into the catholyte and reduced at the platinum cathode. Formate was detected by using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). The yield of HCOO- is the highest when the applied potential is -2.0 V vs Ag/AgCl. The Faradaic efficiency of producing formate is 46.07%. This study showed that the applied potential is one of the parameter that played a key role in the electrochemical reduction of CO₂ into HCOO- in non-aqueous medium.