Recycling Zn Casing Waste into a ZnO-Cu-Based Electrocatalyst for Selective CO₂ Electroreduction to Ethylene

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2RR) is crucial for sustainable chemical production.
• Valorizing waste materials for catalyst fabrication offers environmental and economic benefits.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a nanostructured electrocatalyst from zinc-carbon battery waste for CO2RR.
• To investigate the electrocatalytic performance of the derived ZnO-CuI,II catalyst for hydrocarbon production.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of ZnO nanorods from battery waste via hydrothermal oxidation.
• Decoration of ZnO nanorods with Cu2O and CuO nanoparticles using drop casting.
• Electrochemical CO2RR performed using chronoamperometric electrolysis at various potentials.
• Characterization of catalyst morphology using scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Main Results:

• The ZnO-CuI,II electrocatalyst selectively produced ethylene (C2H4) with a Faradaic efficiency of 5.62% at -1.30 V.
• Minor amounts of methane (CH4), carbon monoxide (CO), and hydrogen (H2) were also detected.
• Post-regeneration, ethylene production ceased due to nanoparticle agglomeration and detachment, confirmed by SEM.

Conclusions:

• Zinc-carbon battery waste can be repurposed into a functional electrocatalyst for CO2 electroreduction.
• The developed catalyst shows potential for selective ethylene production, but stability issues need addressing.
• This work demonstrates a sustainable approach to waste valorization for energy and chemical applications.