(659f) Techno-Economic and Life Cycle Assessment of an Electro- and Bio-Catalytic Carbon Upgrade Process

Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) can mitigate an estimated 14–20% of CO₂ emissions by 2050. We evaluate an integrated electrocatalysis and biocatalysis CCUS pathway, using externally supplied renewable electricity to convert over 12 MtCO₂ to polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) of interest, including poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) and a range of medium chain length PHAs. Methanol and formate serve as production intermediates. We show that a techno-economic and policy-innovation analysis can provide insight into pathways to commercialize to global CCUS. We also perform life cycle assessment to determine the environmental impacts. Our results suggest that research and development should focus on improving Faradaic efficiency for methanol production, current density, catalyst performance for the electrocatalysis, and biocatalysis efficiency through intermediate selection. The ratio of methanol to formate produced influences performance, but higher formate content can improve the economic viability considerably, by US$3.8B over a 30-year lifetime. Profitable scenarios hinge on reducing methanol separation costs – through innovation or reduced energy usage – combined with the availability of inexpensive renewable electricity and/or carbon pricing. Our evaluation of the global innovation status signifies that coordinated strategies are required to realize emissions cuts from CCUS. Innovation can be spurred by targeted investments and policies that promote emissions reductions.