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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Bicarbonate-Carbonate Selectivity through Nanofiltration for Direct Air Capture of Carbon Dioxide

Direct air capture (DAC) of carbon dioxide is one approach among many proposed that is capable of offsetting hard-to-avoid emissions. In previous work, we developed the alkalinity concentration swing (ACS) method, which is driven through concentrating an alkaline solution that has been loaded with atmospheric CO 2 by desalination technologies, such as reverse osmosis or capacitive deionization. Though the ACS is promising in terms of energy usage and implementation, its absorption rate and water requirements are infeasible for a large-scale DAC process. Here, we propose an improvement on the ACS, the bicarbonate-enriched alkalinity concentration swing (BE-ACS), which selects bicarbonate ions from a stream of aqueous alkaline solution that has absorbed atmospheric CO 2 . The bicarbonate-rich stream is then concentrated, which greatly increases its CO 2 partial pressure, and then CO 2 is extracted from solution. We experimentally investigate the use of pressure-driven nanofiltration (NF) membrane-based separation to select bicarbonate ions over carbonate ions. We screen commercial membranes and select one high-performance membrane for detailed studies, quantifying its bicarbonate-carbonate selectivity factor and bicarbonate-passage factor. Feed pH, the combined concentration of aqueous CO 2 , bicarbonate, and carbonate species (or dissolved inorganic carbon), alkalinity, and permeation flux are systematically varied to study NF separation properties. We find that the selectivity factor, which exceeds 30 times in certain regimes, increases with higher feed pH and higher alkalinity. Lastly, the performance metrics of the selected NF membrane are input into a theoretical BE-ACS cycle analysis, and the required energy input and cycle capacity output are evaluated. Ideal cycle energy is found to be as low as around 250 kJ/mol, with opportunities identified for further decreases through process engineering and forward osmosis energy recovery.

animal feed↗
DOE OSTI2024

Bicarbonate is a key regulator but not a substrate for O2 evolution in Photosystem II

Abstract Photosystem II (PSII) uses light energy to oxidize water and to reduce plastoquinone in the photosynthetic electron transport chain. O 2 is produced as a byproduct. While most members of the PSII research community agree that O 2 originates from water molecules, alternative hypotheses involving bicarbonate persist in the literature. In this perspective, we provide an overview of the important roles of bicarbonate in regulating PSII activity and assembly. Further, we emphasize that biochemistry, spectroscopy, and structural biology experiments have all failed to detect bicarbonate near the active site of O 2 evolution. While thermodynamic arguments for oxygen-centered bicarbonate oxidation are valid, the claim that bicarbonate is a substrate for photosynthetic O 2 evolution is challenged.

Vinyard, David J.↗
DOE OSTI2023

A carbon-efficient bicarbonate electrolyzer

Carbon efficiency is one of the most pressing problems of carbon dioxide electroreduction today. While there have been studies on anion exchange membrane electrolyzers with carbon dioxide (gas) and bipolar membrane electrolyzers with bicarbonate (aqueous) feedstocks, both suffer from low carbon efficiency. In anion exchange membrane electrolyzers, this is due to carbonate anion crossover, whereas in bipolar membrane electrolyzers, the exsolution of carbon dioxide (gas) from the bicarbonate solution is the culprit. Here, we first elucidate the root cause of the low carbon efficiency of liquid bicarbonate electrolyzers with thermodynamic calculations and then achieve carbon-efficient carbon dioxide electroreduction by adopting a near-neutral-pH cation exchange membrane, a glass fiber intermediate layer, and carbon dioxide (gas) partial pressure management. We convert highly concentrated bicarbonate solution to solid formate fuel with a yield (carbon efficiency) of greater than 96%. A device test is demonstrated at 100 mA cm -2 with a full-cell voltage of 3.1 V for over 200 h.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2024

Copper-Doped Tin Oxides Supported on Mesoporous Carbon Xerogel for Boosting the Electrochemical Reduction of CO 2 to Formate in Bicarbonate Solution Coupled with CO 2

The electrochemical reduction of CO 2 into valuable products at mild reaction conditions and using cheap renewable electrical energy are goals to sustain a low-carbon economy. Among the various CO 2 reduction reaction products, formic acid (FA) has received significant attention because of its low Gibbs free energy input requirement and the simple reduction reaction involving the transfer of 2 electrons and 2 protons. In this work, a copper-doped tin oxide catalyst supported on a mesoporous carbon xerogel was shown to enhance the electrochemical reduction of CO 2 to formate in a bicarbonate solution coupled with CO 2 . We observed that the synergistic SnCu oxides enhance the selectivity toward formate from 58.6% for Sn oxide and 28.7% for Cu oxide to over 71.2% for the SnCu oxides. The observed rate of formate production with SnCu oxide was 2.8 times higher compared to the rate of Cu oxide and about 1.5 times higher than with the Sn oxide catalyst. Our results reveal that selectivity for formate comes partly from the electrolysis of the bicarbonate solution and partly from continuous CO 2 gas purged into the solution. The contribution from the electrolysis of bicarbonate solution ranges from 15% to 40% when the concentration of bicarbonate solution ranges from 100 mM to 1 M. Chronoamperometric measurements for stability revealed that Cu oxide and Sn oxide showed stable current density for less than 30 h while under the same conditions, the stable current density was observed for more than 50 h with SnCu oxide catalyst. Additionally, the selectivity toward formate increased by 6% when the reactor pressure was increased from near ambient pressure to 4 psig. Our lab-scale electrochemical cell with SnCu oxide supported on the mesoporous carbon xerogel enhances the CO 2 solubility, minimizes the precipitation of salts that can degrade the catalytic performance, and suppresses the competitive hydrogen evolution reaction, demonstrating the feasibility of using our catalyst and system for the electrochemical conversion of CO 2 into formate with high selectivity, productivity, and stability. Furthermore, this could have significant implications for the mitigation of CO 2 emissions and the development of a sustainable chemical industry.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2026

Molecular insights into CO 2 -to-bicarbonate transformation in functionalized anion exchange ionomers for electrochemical separations

Bipolar membrane (BPM) electrochemical processes are a promising platform for carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) separations, but the molecular level thermodynamic and kinetic understanding of CO 2 -to-bicarbonate (HCO 3 − ) transformation remain poorly understood. This study employs a multiscale computational approach to systematically explore the adsorption and reactive transformation of CO 2 in five anion exchange ionomer systems. Classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulation results demonstrate that polymers with imidazolium groups significantly reduce CO 2 diffusion and enhance (OH − )–CO 2 interactions due to stronger electrostatic and π-interactions. Compared to the commonly used quaternary ammonium ionomers, imidazolium-functionalized ionomers show improved CO 2 proximity and interaction strength. Ab initio MD and density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the benzyl-substituted imidazolium (IM-Ben) substantially reduces the energy barrier for HCO 3 − formation (∼72 meV lower) compared to the alkyl-substituted IM-nBu, while also mitigating imidazolium deprotonation under moderate hydration conditions. Transition state analysis shows IM-Ben forms more extensive hydrogen-bonding networks, which stabilize the transition state structure and contribute to a lower energy barrier for bicarbonate formation. These findings highlight the advantage of the adjacent benzyl moiety in enabling efficient CO 2 -to-bicarbonate transformation via hydrated hydroxide ion counterions, offering mechanistic insights and clear molecular design principles for optimizing anion exchange ionomers at bipolar membrane interfaces for electrochemical CO 2 separation applications.

Bipolar membranes, Reactive transformation of CO2,↗
DOE OSTI2024

A bicarbonate-rich liquid condensed phase in non-saturated solutions in the absence of divalent cations

Bicarbonate (HCO 3 - ) and sodium (Na + )-containing solutions contain droplets of a separate, bicarbonate-rich liquid condensed phase (LCP) that have higher concentrations of HCO 3 - relative to the bulk solution in which they reside. The existence and composition of the LCP droplets has been investigated by nanoparticle tracking analysis, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, refractive index measurements and X-ray pair distribution function analysis. The bicarbonate-rich LCP species is a previously unaccounted-for, ionic phenomenon which occurs even in solutions with solely monovalent cations. Its existence requires re-evaluation of models used to describe and model aqueous solution physicochemistry, especially those used to describe and model carbonate mineral formation.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2023

Oxidation Chemistry of Bicarbonate and Peroxybicarbonate: Implications for Carbonate Management in Energy Storage

Carbonate formation presents a major challenge to energy storage applications based on low-temperature CO 2 electrolysis and recyclable metal–air batteries. While direct electrochemical oxidation of (bi)carbonate represents a straightforward route for carbonate management, knowledge of the feasibility and mechanisms of direct oxidation is presently lacking. Herein, we report the isolation and characterization of the bis(triphenylphosphine)iminium salts of bicarbonate and peroxybicarbonate, thus enabling the examination of their oxidation chemistry. Infrared spectroelectrochemistry combined with time-resolved infrared spectroscopy reveals that the photoinduced oxidation of HCO 3 – by an Ir(III) photoreagent results in the generation of the short-lived bicarbonate radical in less than 50 ns. The highly acidic bicarbonate radical undergoes proton transfer with HCO 3 – to furnish the carbonate radical anion and H 2 CO 3 , leading to the eventual release of CO 2 and H 2 O, thus accounting for the appearance of H 2 O and CO 2 in both electrochemical and photochemical oxidation experiments. Here, the back reaction of the carbonate radical subsequently oxidizes the Ir(II) photoreagent, leading to carbonate. In the absence of this back reaction, dimerization of the carbonate radical provides entry into peroxybicarbonate, which we show undergoes facile oxidation to O 2 and CO 2 . Together, the results reported identify tangible pathways for the design of catalysts for the management of carbonate in energy storage applications.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Simplified Models of the Bicarbonate Buffer for Scaled Simulations of CO 2 Electrolyzers

Bicarbonate electrolytes are used in a range of chemical processes; however, resolved simulation of these electrolytes is difficult, as disparate reaction time scales lead to numerical stiffness and the formation of fine boundary layers. Based on several physically motivated approximations, we reduce the full set of chemical reactions within a bicarbonate electrolyte to a simpler subset, eliminating the numerical stiffness. We supported this simplification via a two-variable singular perturbation expansion and demonstrated that under neutral conditions (6 < pH < 10) typically found within a fluid-fed CO 2 electrolyzer, the simplifications lead to negligible error. Here, we also discuss two alternative simplifications, one valid at high pH and another valid at arbitrary pH. These simplifications reduce the condition number of the matrices resulting from spatiotemporal discretization by up to 10 orders of magnitude and enable three-dimensional (3D) simulation of CO 2 electrolyzers containing carbonate solutions.

10 SYNTHETIC FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Exploring structure-function relationships governing transport by and regulation of the major cyanobacterial bicarbonate transporters SbtA and BicA

Cyanobacteria play a large and essential role in the global carbon cycle, while also representing promising microbial platforms for the direct bioproduction of fuels and chemicals from solar energy and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ). In both cases, a critical step in the overall photosynthetic process is the transport of inorganic carbon (Ci) across the cell membrane, which occurs via different mechanisms and associated transporter proteins that target either CO 2 or bicarbonate (HCO 3 - ). In the latter case, BicA (constitutively-expressed, high-flux/low-affinity Na + /HCO 3 - symporter) and SbtA (low-flux/high-affinity Na + /HCO 3 - symporter, expressed only under low CO 2 conditions) have been identified as the two main cyanobacterial HCO 3 - transporters. This project entailed combining detailed functional and high-resolution structural studies to help fill key knowledge gaps regarding the mechanisms of HCO 3 - transport by BicA and SbtA. Specifically, major goals of this project included: i) identifying key residues and structural features of BicA and SbtA that are responsible for modulating their uptake flux and affinity behaviors, and ii) obtaining high-resolution structures of full-length BicA and SbtA.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Chemical state of nickel nanoparticles during the oxygen evolution reaction in a carbonate-bicarbonate buffer solution

The chemical state of nickel anodes during the oxygen evolution reaction can impact their electrocatalytic performance. Here, X-ray photoelectron and absorption spectroscopies reveal the chemical state of nickel nanoparticles under oxygen evolution reaction conditions in amildly alkaline carbonate-bicarbonate buffer solution. Ni 2+ and Ni 3+ species are observed at the reaction onset potential with a 7:4 ratio, with no remaining metallic nickel. These species include NiO, which increasingly converts to other Ni 2+ and Ni 3+ species once the potential is increased above the onset potential. Conversely, when a 20-nm-thick nickel film is used instead of nickel nanoparticles, a significant amount of metallic nickel remains in the inner layers. Nickel nanoparticles also undergo significant morphological and structural changes during the reaction, as evidenced by ex situ transmission electron microscopy. Amorphization of the nanoparticles is attributed to significant H 2 O incorporation, with the oxygen intensity increasing both in operando and ex situ measurements.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Cambered Bipyridyl Ligand with Extended Aryl System Enables Electrochemical Reduction of Carbon Dioxide and Bicarbonate by Mn(bpy)(CO) 3 Br-type Catalyst Immobilized on Carbon Nanotubes

Heterogeneous materials containing molecular catalytic sites show promise for electrocatalytic reduction of CO 2 to energy-enriched carbon products. Interactions between the catalyst and the heterogeneous support increasingly are recognized as important in governing product selectivity and rate. Recent work on Mn(R-bpy)(CO) 3 Br type catalysts immobilized on multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) demonstrated control of electrocatalytic behavior with steric modification of the molecular catalyst. Phenyl groups installed in the 4,4' positions of the bipyridine ligand (ph-bpy) maximized performance through π–π interactions with the MWCNT support. Herein we report the outcome of extending the ligand π system with Mn(nap-bpy)(CO) 3 Br (nap-bpy = 4,4'-di(naphthalen-1-yl)-2,2'-bipyridine) and Mn(pyr-bpy)(CO) 3 Br (pyr-bpy = 4,4'-di(pyren-1-yl)-2,2'-bipyridine) immobilized on MWCNT. We demonstrate exceptional electrocatalysis with Mn(nap-bpy)(CO) 3 Br/MWCNT (FE CO > 92%; J CO = 16.5 mA/cm 2 ) and find that this catalyst electrochemically reduces bicarbonate in the absence of deliberately added CO 2 at a remarkable overall selectivity of >80% for carbon products (FE HCOO – = 52% and FE CO = 29%). We show diminishing returns to simply adding aromatic character to the bipyridyl ligand with Mn(pyr-bpy)(CO) 3 Br/MWCNT and observe a unique cambering of the Mn(nap-bpy)(CO) 3 Br bipyridyl ligand that we believe enables selective catalysis. Mechanistic studies were carried out on Mn(nap-bpy)(CO) 3 Br/MWCNT using a novel thin-film infrared spectroelectrochemical (IR-SEC) technique. These experiments observe the immobilized Mn(nap-bpy)(CO) 3 Br undergo single electron reduction to a Mn-centered radical that binds CO 2 in a reduction-coupled process.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2026

Metal–bicarbonate ion pairing in alkaline aqueous solutions from multilevel embedded correlated wavefunction theory and molecular dynamics

In this work, we examine ion-pairing mechanisms of bicarbonates in alkaline aqueous solutions with the divalent metal ions most abundantly present in seawater, namely, Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ . We employ a rare-event enhanced sampling approach within first-principles molecular dynamics to explore regions of phase space spanning solvent-shared to contact ion pairs. Second-order Møller–Plesset perturbation theory (MP2) corrections are subsequently applied in an embedding framework (EMB) to refine the electronic structure of stationary states and associated reaction barriers along the free-energy profiles while retaining the extended solvent effects at the density functional theory (DFT) level. Ca 2+ –HCO 3 − was previously hypothesized to exist in a solvent-shared ion pair (SSHIP) by DFT studies with an endergonic contact ion pair (CIP) formation; however, our EMB-MP2 refinement of the DFT ion-pairing pathways reveals that Ca 2+ and HCO 3 − form a virtually barrier-free CIP in alkaline solutions, with even more energetic ease than the widely studied Ca–CO 3 ion pair. We find qualitative agreement between DFT and EMB-MP2 for Mg 2+ —unlike Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ refuses to shed its strong hydration shell, thereby preferring a SSHIP state with a significant activation barrier to crossover to the CIP forms—a trait reminiscent of ion pairing in Mg–CO 3 and closely related to the kinetic limitations underlying the famous subject of the dolomite problem. Our study highlights the importance of improved electronic structure descriptions of liquids, modeled as a condensed phase of matter lacking in long-range crystalline order. It also strongly suggests that Ca 2+ –HCO 3 − CIPs are likely precursors involved in prenucleation of CaCO 3 mineral formation in seawater.

Sharma, Vidushi [Princeton Plasma Physics Laborato↗
DOE OSTI2024

Modeling bicarbonate formation in an alkaline solution with multi-level quantum mechanics/molecular dynamics simulations

Understanding carbonate speciation and how it may be modulated is essential for the advancement of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) capture and storage technologies, which often rely on the transformation of CO 2 into carbonate, e.g. via the formation of carbonate minerals. To date, few atomic-level, quantum-mechanics-based simulations have been carried out to characterize how carbonic acid (H 2 CO 3 ) and bicarbonate ($HCO^{-}_{3}$) form in aqueous solution, and how pH affects this process. Recently, Martirez and Carter utilized rare-event sampling density functional theory molecular dynamics simulations in combination with multi-level embedded correlated wavefunction theory, thus accounting for both solvent dynamics and electron correlation accurately, to elucidate the mechanism of H 2 CO 3 formation in neutral solution (J. Am. Chem. Soc., 145, 12561, 2023). Here, we perform a complementary simulation using the same method to map out the energetics of $HCO^{-}_{3}$ formation from dissolved CO 2 in basic solution. We find that, as in H 2 CO 3 formation, including water dynamics is important to obtain an accurate prediction of the energetics for the aforementioned reaction. Furthermore, only with MD did we identify the correct pathway for the reaction, in which water – not hydroxide – acts as the initial nucleophile and only at the transition state does it lose a proton.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Impact of Interposer Microstructure on Ionic Transport in Liquid-Phase Bicarbonate Electrolysis

The electrochemical reduction of CO 2 (CO 2 RR) is a potentially scalable approach for converting captured carbon dioxide into value-added products. Conventional gas-phase electrolysis systems can suffer from carbonate crossover, which limits the efficiency of the system. Liquid-phase (bi)carbonate electrolysis using bipolar membrane electrode assemblies (BPMMEA) has emerged as a promising alternative. The interposer layer, a porous mass-transport material between the BPM and the catalyst, is an essential component of the MEA, as it allows evolved CO 2 to reach the catalyst surface for reaction. In the absence of this layer, evolved CO 2 generated by the pH swing process at the BPM can be converted back into (bi)carbonate (CO 2 recapture) due to the high bulk pH. Thus, clear design guidelines are needed to maximize CO 2 conversion, minimize CO 2 recapture in the catholyte, and improve energy efficiency. Here, the transport properties of the interposer are systematically characterized by X-ray tomography and symmetric-cell impedance spectroscopy to quantify porosity, tortuosity, and the resulting MacMullin number. We then examine the correlation between these material properties and the electrolyzer performance. We focus on characterizing two commercial porous membrane filters, mixed cellulose ester (MCE) and poly(ether sulfone) (PES).

CO2 electrolysis↗
DOE OSTI2025

Surface-Enhanced Raman Detection of the CO 2 Moisture Swing

The development of scalable, energy-efficient carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) capture technologies is critical for achieving net-zero emissions. Moisture swing (MS) sorbents offer a promising alternative to traditional thermal regeneration methods by enabling reversible CO 2 binding through humidity-driven ion hydrolysis. In this study, we investigate the anion speciation dynamics in two classes of MS materials─an anion-exchange resin with a bicarbonate anion and activated carbon impregnated with potassium bicarbonate salt─using both sorption measurements and in situ surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). Ni-coated Ag nanowires were employed as SERS substrates to enhance signal intensity and enable the real-time detection of carbonate (CO 3 2– ), bicarbonate (HCO 3 – ), and hydroxide (OH – ) species under controlled humidity conditions in both air and nitrogen atmospheres. The results reveal humidity-dependent interconversion between anionic species with significant spectral shifts confirming the reversible hydrolysis reactions that drive the MS mechanism. Under humid conditions, we observed the depletion of bicarbonate signals and a concurrent increase in carbonate species, consistent with moisture-induced desorption of CO 2 . With the activated carbon samples, we further observed the formation of hydroxide. These findings not only validate the mechanistic models of humidity-driven anion exchange in MS sorbents but also demonstrate the practical potential of SERS as an operando diagnostic tool for monitoring CO 2 capture media. The ability to resolve and semiquantitatively evaluate the reversible transformation of carbonate, bicarbonate, and hydroxide ions under realistic environmental conditions provides valuable insight for the rational design, performance optimization, and quality control of next-generation sorbent materials for direct air capture applications.

CO2 capture↗