Chemistry Captured: A Closer Look
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At first glance, this collection of bolts may seem like a robust assembly, but the real marvel lies beneath the surface. Last year, Andrea Klenotiz and her team at the innovative start-up Lectrolyst were busy assembling an electrochemical reactor—a crucial stack of plates located underneath these rods—for a live demonstration. The efficiency of this electrochemical setup is highly dependent on how tightly the stack is compressed; if it isn’t secured properly, the overall performance diminishes significantly, leading to inefficiencies and potential leaks. This pioneering start-up is dedicated to transforming carbon dioxide and other waste carbon compounds into valuable resources (https://cen.acs.org/environment/greenhouse-gases/Turning-carbon-dioxide-valuable-resource-electroreduction/101/i8). Currently, Lectrolyst is working to enhance its two-step process, which involves a catalytic system that first converts CO2 into carbon monoxide in one reactor. Following that, a second reactor utilizes different catalysts to further reduce the carbon monoxide into useful products such as acetate and ethylene.
Contributed by Bradie S. Crandall
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