@article{10902/36432,
year = {2025},
month = {7},
url = {https://hdl.handle.net/10902/36432},
abstract = {The application of external magnetic fields in electrochemical processes has emerged as a promising strategy to enhance efficiency. Nevertheless, the use of magnetic fields in electrochemical CO2 reduction (ERCO2) has been scarcely explored. This study evaluates the impact of magnetic fields on ERCO2 to formate in a filter-press reactor, combining experimental analysis with magnetic field modeling to understand the performance enhancements achieved by placing magnets outside the electrochemical cell. Magnetic field modeling reveals that the positioning of magnets relative to the cathode surface significantly affects the field strength. For instance, placing a magnet near the anode generates a field strength of 20 mT on the GDE, while positioning two magnets at opposite ends of the cell increases the field to 400 mT. Experimentally, placing magnets near the cathode or at both ends of the cell boosts formate concentration by more than 20 %, achieving values of 4.4 g L−1 and 4.95 g L−1, respectively, with FEs approaching 100 %. These improvements are attributed to the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) effect, which enhances mass transfer by inducing turbulence in the cathodic electrolyte. This effect is particularly important at low catholyte flow rates, leading to a more than 50 % increase in formate concentration, reaching up to 27.25 g L−1 at a flow rate of 0.07 mL min−1 cm−2. However, the application of magnetic fields also increases energy consumption due to the higher cell voltage requirements, as indicated by Tafel analysis. Despite this limitation, this study demonstrates the potential application of magnetic fields to enhance ERCO2 processes, paving the way for future research to further explore and optimize this promising strategy.},
organization = {The authors fully acknowledge the financial support received from the Spanish State Research Agency (AEI) through the projects PID2022-138491OB-C31 and PID2022-138491OB-C32 (MICIU/AEI /10.13039/501100011033 and FEDER, UE), TED2021-129810B-C21, and PLEC2022-009398 (MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and Union Europea Next Generation EU/PRTR). The present work is related to CAPTUS Project. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101118265. This study was financially supported by Texas Tech University through HEF New Faculty Startup, NRUF Start Up, and Core Research Support Fund. Jose Antonio Abarca gratefully acknowledges the predoctoral research grant (FPI) PRE2021-097200. Cristina González-Fernández thanks the Spanish Ministry of Universities for the Margarita Salas postdoctoral fellowship (grants for the requalification of the Spanish university system for 2021-2023, University of Cantabria), funded by the European Union-NextGenerationEU. Joseph A Gauthier gratefully acknowledges support from The Welch Foundation under Grant Number D-2188-20240404. Jenifer Gomez-Pastora acknowledges support from The Welch Foundation (Grant # D-2236-20250403).},
publisher = {Elsevier},
publisher = {Chemical Engineering Journal, 2025, 515, 163614},
title = {Magnetically enhanced electrochemical conversion of CO2 to formate: experimental studies},
author = {Abarca González, José Antonio and Wu, Xian and González Fernández, Cristina and Karampelas, Ioannis H. and Gutierrez Carballo, Alejandro and Gauthier, Joseph A. and Botte, Gerardine G. and Solla Gullón, José and Irabien Gulías, Ángel and Díaz Sainz, Guillermo and Gómez Pastora, Jenifer},
}