STEP carbon dioxide free production of societal staples

Abstract

Due to significant CO₂ emissions, atmospheric CO₂ levels have surpassed 423 ppm for the first time in recorded history, nearly doubling its level from that over the past few hundred thousand years. The primary contributor to this accumulation is anthropogenic release of CO₂. Addressing the challenge of reducing atmospheric CO₂ requires developing carbon-neutral industrial processes to replace current CO₂-intensive methods and innovating low-cost technologies for capturing and converting CO₂, and exploring its potential as a feedstock for fuels and societal staples. In pursuit of these goals, efforts have focused on sustainable methods for industrial production without a high carbon footprint, for which the Solar Thermal Electrochemical Process (STEP) was developed. In STEP, solar UV–visible energy powers a photovoltaic device for high temperature electrolysis, while solar thermal energy heats another system crucial for the electrolytic processes for carbon capture and to generate societal staples, such as H₂ or syngas, iron, aluminum, lithium, magnesium, oxygen and chlorine at low energy and without CO₂. This comprehensive use of sunlight enhances the overall efficiency of solar energy conversion compared to other methods. Applications of STEP include CO₂-free synthesis of iron, bleach and fuels.