Cathodic reduction of CO2 to formic acid: Effect of the nature of the cathode for pressurized systems

Electrochemical conversion of CO2 into formic acid (FA) in an aqueous electrolyte is considered a promising strategy to valorise waste-CO2. Some studies, mainly performed using Sn cathodes, have shown that the performance of the process can be strongly improved using pressurized systems. On the other hand, other studies, usually carried out in non-pressurized systems, have indicated that the nature of the cathode can strongly affect the process. Hence, in this work, we have investigated the coupled effect of nature of the cathode and CO2 pressure (PCO2 ) on the electrochemical conversion of CO2 to FA. Four electrodes (Sn, Sn/C-NP, Bi, Bi/C-NP) have been used as model cathodes. The results o…