Ph.D. in electrochemical engineering from Politecnico di Torino. Project technical coordinator for 4 years at the Italian Institute of Technology Electrochemical engineer for 2 years in Hysystech Scientific Researcher for 2 years at the Flemish institute of research and technology (VITO) Currently working as an Electrochemical scientist in John Cockerill Hydrogen Author of more than 25 peer-reviewed papers, 3 books and two patents.
The CO2 that comes from the use of fossil fuels accounts for about 65% of the global greenhouse gas emission, and it plays a critical role in global climate changes. Among the different strategies that have been considered to address the storage and reutilization of CO2, the transformation of CO2 into chemicals and fuels with a high added-value has been considered a winning approach. This transformation is able to reduce the carbon emission and induce a “fuel switching” that exploits renewable energy sources. The aim of this chapter is to categorize different heterogeneous electrocatalysts which are being used for CO2 reduction, based on the desired products of the above mentioned reactions: from formic acid and carbon monoxide to methanol and ethanol and other possible by products. Moreover, a brief description of the kinetic and mechanism of the CO2 reduction reaction) and pathways toward different products have been discussed.
Part of the book: Electrocatalysis and Electrocatalysts for a Cleaner Environment