Publication date: 22nd July 2026
The potential of low-temperature electrolysis for direct conversion of CO2 into fuels and commodities (CO, formate, alcohols, C2+) has been demonstrated at laboratory scale by various academic institutions. Despite a fast-growing research field and a wide industrial interest, most of CO2 electrolysis is still limited to TRL~3-5, and several fundamental knowledge gaps still remain at the level of a single electrochemical cell, as well as a wide range of unknowns on reactor and process design. At TNO we aim to identify upscaling hurdles at an early stage by combining catalyst development, process parameter understanding and computational modelling to advance CO2 electrolysis towards industrial implementation. Solutions developed include reactor conditioning, process control, parameter space mapping and regeneration strategies. Integrating R&D at all levels (electrodes>cell>reactor>process>system) is urgently needed to bring the technology towards industrial implementation. In particular, the electrochemical conversion of CO2 to formic acid and ethylene in a low temperature and pressure environment over a gas diffusion electrode (GDE) can be challenging due to the complex interplay of various parameters.
During this presentation the following recent developments at TNO will be covered:
1.) Investigating the effects of process control and system parameters (P, dP, T, pH, V, A) to extend the lifetime of small scale CO2 electrolysers.
2.) Extending the lifetime of CO2-to-ethylene and CO2-to-formate at 5 and 25 cm2. Learnings and the implications of these findings for further scale-up to 100 cm2.
3.) An update on the development and first-testing of our metal-free testing station AGLAIA for CO2 electrolysis at 100 cm2.
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