Syngas generation process and carbon monoxide electrolysis

Abstract

This disclosure relates to methods and systems associated with using electrolysis to enhance syngas production. The methods disclosed herein include harvesting a volume of carbon monoxide from a syngas production system operating using a volume of natural gas, supplying the volume of carbon monoxide to a cathode region of an electrolyzer, and using the volume of carbon monoxide and the electrolyzer to produce a volume of a produced chemical. The volume of the produced chemical is at least one of the following: a volume of hydrocarbons, a volume of olefins, a volume of organic acids, a volume of alcohols, and a volume of nitrogen-rich organic compounds.

Description

[0001] Cross - Reference to Related Applications

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 980,912, filed on November 4, 2022 (which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 322,638, filed on March 22, 2022) and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 351,442, filed on June 13, 2022, the entireties of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties for all purposes. Background Art

[0003] There is an urgent need to reduce emissions associated with the production of useful fuels and chemicals in our society. In addition, there is a need to widely adopt fuels that burn cleanly (i.e., without producing gaseous carbon) in place of fossil fuels used throughout society. Thus, processes for generating dihydrogen gas (hereinafter also referred to as "hydrogen gas") and syngas with low carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions are key technologies for building a future sustainable fuel and chemical production platform.

[0004] Hydrogen can be used as an energy source in various reactors, including fuel cells and hydrogen combustion systems. It can also be used in a variety of industrial processes, and especially chemical processes. Hydrogen gas burns cleanly, but first requires a large amount of energy to generate. The processes required to generate this large amount of energy may conversely involve the production of carbon by - products. Hydrogen gas can be classified according to its environmental impact in its production. Grey hydrogen is hydrogen produced using processes that emit carbon by - products into the atmosphere, thus offsetting to some extent the benefits of using hydrogen as a hydrocarbon fuel substitute. Blue hydrogen is hydrogen produced using processes that generate carbon by - products but capture and sequester the carbon by - products rather than emitting them into the atmosphere. Green hydrogen is hydrogen produced without generating or generating very limited carbon by - products, such as by using renewable energy to power the process of generating hydrogen by water electrolysis.

[0005] Syngas is a mixture of dihydrogen (H 2 ) and carbon monoxide (CO) in various ratios. This gas typically also includes CO 2 and methane (CH 4 ). Syngas can be used as a feedstock for producing hydrogen gas or as a feedstock for producing chemicals or synthetic fuels. Syngas can also be used directly as a fuel for power generation or as a feedstock for internal combustion engines.

[0006] Dihydrogen and syngas can be produced using different technologies. Syngas can be generated by processing various raw materials containing carbon and hydrogen atoms, such as natural gas, hydrocarbons, biomass, or certain waste products. The process for generating syngas from these raw materials can be referred to as the syngas generation process. For example, natural gas can be processed to separate dihydrogen from methane and other hydrocarbons in the natural gas. The remaining carbon combines with oxygen to produce carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, collectively referred to as carbon oxides. Syngas can be produced using various ratios of dihydrogen gas to carbon oxides, depending on the application for which the syngas will be used. In a specific application, when all carbon oxides are removed to produce pure dihydrogen gas, the ratio is zero. In these applications, the syngas generation process can be used to produce blue hydrogen from syngas, which first generates syngas in a carbon-capturing manner and further separates and captures carbon oxides from the syngas to isolate pure dihydrogen gas.

[0007] Currently, from an economic perspective and the maturity of related technologies, blue hydrogen has an advantage over green hydrogen. In terms of environmental impact, blue hydrogen also has a significant advantage over grey hydrogen. Therefore, due to its scalability and relatively low cost, blue hydrogen is expected to play an important role in the expansion of the global hydrogen-electric infrastructure. However, the issues to be addressed with the use of blue hydrogen are the cost of carbon capture and the small likelihood of such costs decreasing over time. It is reported that capturing carbon dioxide from the blue hydrogen process increases the final cost of hydrogen by 30% to 100%. Compared with grey hydrogen, whose price can be as low as $1.00 per kilogram, the total cost per kilogram of blue hydrogen is approximately $1.40 to $2.40. Therefore, many facilities for producing syngas or generating syngas specifically for hydrogen production are not equipped with carbon capture and storage facilities but simply emit the generated carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Summary of the Invention

[0008] Methods and systems related to using electrolysis to enhance the syngas generation process are disclosed herein. In a specific embodiment, carbon monoxide generated from a syngas production system is directly or indirectly harvested for use in an electrolyzer to produce at least one of hydrocarbons, olefins, organic acids, alcohols, or nitrogen-rich organic compounds.

[0009] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, a method is provided. The method includes harvesting a volume of carbon monoxide from a syngas production system, supplying the volume of carbon monoxide to the cathode region of an electrolyzer, and using the volume of carbon monoxide and the electrolyzer to generate a volume of the generated chemicals. In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the electrolyzer is a dedicated electrolyzer designed for the electrochemical reduction of carbon monoxide, as described in the following detailed description. The volume of the generated chemicals is at least one of the following: a volume of hydrocarbons, a volume of organic acids, a volume of alcohols, a volume of olefins, and a volume of nitrogen-rich organic compounds.

[0010] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, a system is provided. The system includes: a syngas production system configured to produce a certain volume of syngas; a first connector fluidly connected to the syngas output of the syngas production system; a separation system fluidly connected to the first connector and configured to separate a certain volume of carbon monoxide from the certain volume of syngas; a second connector fluidly connected to the carbon monoxide output of the separation system; and an electrolyzer having a cathode input fluidly connected to the second connector and configured to generate a certain volume of a generated chemical from the certain volume of carbon monoxide. The certain volume of the generated chemical is at least one of the following: a certain volume of hydrocarbons, a certain volume of organic acids, a certain volume of alcohols, a certain volume of olefins, and a certain volume of nitrogen-rich organic compounds.

[0011] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, a method is provided. The method includes supplying a certain volume of carbon dioxide and a certain volume of natural gas to a reforming process. The method further includes harvesting a certain volume of carbon monoxide from the reforming process. The method further includes supplying the certain volume of carbon monoxide to the cathode region of an electrolyzer and using the certain volume of carbon monoxide and the electrolyzer to generate a certain volume of a generated chemical. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 A flowchart showing a set of methods for enhancing a syngas production system according to a specific embodiment of the present invention disclosed herein.

[0013] Figure 2A A system for enhancing a syngas production system according to a specific embodiment of the present invention disclosed herein.

[0014] Figure 2B A system for enhancing a syngas production system using recycled dihydrogen gas according to a specific embodiment of the present invention disclosed herein.

[0015] Figure 3A A system for enhancing a syngas production system according to a specific embodiment of the present invention disclosed herein, which includes a water-gas shift reactor.

[0016] Figure 3B Another system for enhancing a syngas production system according to a specific embodiment of the present invention disclosed herein, which includes a water-gas shift reactor.

[0017] Figure 4A A system for enhancing a syngas production system using a reforming reactor according to a specific embodiment of the present invention disclosed herein.

[0018] Figure 4BA system for enhancing a syngas production system using a gasification reactor, which is shown according to a specific embodiment of the present invention disclosed herein.

[0019] Figure 4C A system for enhancing a syngas production system, which is shown according to a specific embodiment of the present invention disclosed herein, uses oxygen collected from the output of an electrolyzer as an input to a partial oxidation reactor.

[0020] Figure 4D A system for enhancing a syngas production system, which is shown according to a specific embodiment of the present invention disclosed herein, uses parasitic hydrogen collected from the output of an electrolyzer to increase the dihydrogen production of the system.

[0021] Figure 5 An exploded view of an electrolyzer that can be used according to a specific embodiment of the present invention disclosed herein is shown.

[0022] Figure 6 A set of electrolyzer reactions that can be used according to a specific embodiment of the present invention disclosed herein is shown.

[0023] Figure 7 A second set of electrolyzer reactions that can be used according to a specific embodiment of the present invention disclosed herein is shown.

[0024] Figure 8 An electrolyzer using a diaphragm as a separating element, which is shown according to a specific embodiment of the present invention disclosed herein. Detailed Description

[0025] Methods and systems related to enhancing the syngas generation process using electrolysis as outlined above are disclosed in detail herein. The methods and systems disclosed in this section are non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, provided for explanatory purposes only, and should not be used to limit the full scope of the present invention. It should be understood that the disclosed embodiments may or may not overlap with each other. Thus, one embodiment or a part of its specific embodiment may or may not fall within the scope of another embodiment or its specific embodiment, and vice versa. Different embodiments from different aspects may be combined or practiced separately. Many different combinations and sub-combinations of the representative embodiments shown within the broad framework of the present invention may be obvious to those skilled in the art but are not explicitly shown or described and should not be construed as being excluded.

[0026] The production of syngas or pure dihydrogen gas may involve syngas generation processes that result in the formation of carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide may be formed in a syngas generation reaction, where a mixture of dihydrogen, carbon monoxide, and possibly other chemicals is produced. The other chemicals may include carbon dioxide and other carbon-containing chemicals. The term "syngas generation reaction" is used with reference to the fact that the feedstock has been at least partially converted into syngas. The reaction may be part of a further reaction where the final composition of dihydrogen and carbon monoxide is reached, or all of the dihydrogen has been separated out to form pure dihydrogen gas. According to specific embodiments of the invention disclosed herein, the carbon monoxide product formed during such a syngas generation reaction may be harvested for a specific purpose.

[0027] Harvesting carbon monoxide from a syngas generation reaction can be either direct or indirect. In indirect harvesting, carbon monoxide from the syngas generation reaction may be piped to a storage tank and then sealed. The tank can then be transported to the location where the carbon monoxide will be utilized or stored locally for later use. In contrast, in direct harvesting, carbon monoxide from syngas generation can be piped directly from the reactor or other system in which the syngas generation reaction occurs to an electrolyzer or other system where the carbon monoxide will be utilized (e.g., one or more intermediate steps may be performed before the carbon monoxide is piped to the electrolyzer). In specific embodiments of the invention, the two systems (e.g., the reactor and the electrolyzer) may be located in a single industrial facility. In fact, in specific embodiments of the invention, existing syngas or dihydrogen production facilities can be enhanced using the systems disclosed herein to enable direct harvesting of carbon monoxide that would otherwise be directly emitted into the atmosphere or first converted to carbon dioxide and then emitted from those facilities into the atmosphere.

[0028] Figure 1 Flowchart 100 includes a set of methods for enhancing a syngas production system according to specific embodiments of the invention disclosed herein. Flowchart 100 includes a step 101 of harvesting a volume of carbon monoxide from the syngas production system. The syngas production system may operate using a volume of natural gas, biomass, waste (e.g., biological waste, plastics, waste mixtures), or other feedstocks. Natural gas may be in liquefied or gaseous form, and the term "gas" used in this phrase does not mean to limit the state of natural gas to the gaseous form, as is known to those of ordinary skill in the art, natural gas can be transported and processed in liquefied form while still using the term "natural gas" to refer to natural gas (i.e., liquefied natural gas). In this disclosure, the term "fluid" will be used to refer to any physical form of matter, including liquid, gaseous, supercritical, or a combination of liquid and gaseous forms.

[0029] The syngas production system can be part of a dihydrogen production line 110 that utilizes a syngas generation process. The syngas production system can include a syngas generation process that generates a volume of dihydrogen (such as dihydrogen gas) and a volume of carbon monoxide. Harvesting can involve harvesting all of the volume of carbon monoxide generated by the syngas production system or a portion of that volume of carbon monoxide generated by the syngas production system. That volume of carbon monoxide can be harvested as part of a carbon monoxide-containing stream, where that volume of carbon monoxide is mixed with other chemicals or impurities. As described elsewhere herein, the term "volume" of a substance (e.g., the volume of carbon monoxide) does not mean to indicate a separate, distinct, and purified physical volume, but rather means to refer to a collection of the substance in the same sense that a cup of coffee containing a tablespoon of milk contains a "volume" of milk, where that volume is a tablespoon.

[0030] The harvesting of carbon monoxide can be direct and all steps of flowchart 100 can be performed in a single facility. The collection of carbon monoxide can be carried out in accordance with the syngas production system. For example, the dihydrogen production line 110 can be in the same facility as the electrolyzer 120, and the carbon monoxide generated by the dihydrogen production line 110 can be harvested and directly provided to the electrolyzer 120, or pre-treated with one or more intermediate steps between 110 and 120 before feeding the CO-containing stream into the electrolyzer. The syngas production system can be fluidly connected to a separation system for harvesting carbon monoxide from the syngas. The fluid connection can be provided by one or more valves in a pipeline, one or more seals, and / or one or more regulators or other instrumentation or other connectors that couple the output of the syngas production system to the area where the carbon monoxide will be used. Alternatively, the harvesting of carbon monoxide can be indirect, where the area of the process for generating that volume of carbon monoxide is fluidly connected to one or more storage tanks that store the carbon monoxide for transportation and / or use at a later time. In either case, the machinery in which the syngas generation process is performed and the machinery in which the carbon monoxide is utilized in the electrolysis process can be in a single industrial facility such as a refinery, biorefinery, chemical plant, industrial laboratory, waste treatment plant, or other facility. Carbon monoxide can be harvested from the process in various ways as described below.

[0031] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, carbon monoxide can be separated from the syngas generated by the syngas production system. A variety of methods can be used to separate carbon monoxide from the syngas, such as separation by membrane, cryogenic separation, separation methods based on different physical or chemical properties of the syngas components, separation based on pressure swing adsorption, temperature swing adsorption, vacuum, or vacuum pressure swing adsorption, or separation based on absorption. For example, a separation system can be used on the syngas, first cooling the syngas to remove impurities, and then heating the syngas to evaporate the purified dihydrogen through a membrane that filters out carbon monoxide.

[0032] Systems for performing the above separation steps and processes can take various forms. The separation system can perform one or more of the multiple separation / purification steps, including any techniques that can be used for target purification / separation. The separation system can include separation units based on, but not limited to, the following techniques: membrane techniques, including but not limited to dense polymer membranes, ultrafiltration and nanofiltration membranes, facilitated transport membranes, metal membranes, hollow fiber pervaporation membranes; cryogenic techniques; adsorption techniques, including but not limited to physical adsorption and chemical adsorption techniques; absorption techniques, including physical absorption techniques and chemical absorption techniques; its operating techniques such as, but not limited to, pressure swing vacuum, temperature swing, pressure swing, pressure swing drying, coupled pressure and temperature swing, electric swing. Chemical adsorbents that can be used include but are not limited to amine-based adsorbents (amine-grafted or impregnated solids), metal oxides, metal salts, double salts, and hydrotalcites. Physical adsorbents that can be used include but are not limited to materials such as carbon-based materials, mesoporous silica, zeolites, zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs), metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), and mixed adsorbents.

[0033] The raw syngas can have a ratio of dihydrogen to carbon monoxide of 1 to 5, depending on the feedstock and the process used to generate the syngas. Methods for altering this ratio can be used to produce concentrated streams of dihydrogen and carbon monoxide. In specific embodiments of the present invention, the process for generating carbon monoxide does not require removing all of the carbon monoxide from the syngas and leaving only pure dihydrogen. In fact, if the overall purpose of the process is to produce syngas having a certain ratio of carbon monoxide to dihydrogen, the harvesting and separation steps disclosed herein can be calibrated to remove only a portion of the carbon monoxide from the syngas product. In these methods, the process of harvesting a certain volume of carbon monoxide can include feeding a certain volume of syngas from a syngas production system to a separation system, and using the separation system to separate a certain volume of dihydrogen and the certain volume of carbon monoxide from the certain volume of syngas to leave a second volume of syngas. The separation system can be configured to separate the certain volume of carbon monoxide from the certain volume of syngas to achieve the target ratio of carbon monoxide to hydrogen in the second volume of syngas.

[0034] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the syngas generation process for generating a certain volume of carbon monoxide can take various forms. Syngas can be produced using various raw materials and various processes. The processes for generating syngas include reforming technologies, oxidation or partial oxidation (POX) technologies, and gasification of biomass or waste (e.g., bio-waste, plastics, or any waste containing carbon-rich molecules). Reforming technologies can be further subdivided into steam reforming, such as steam methane reforming (SMR), autothermal reforming (ATR), and dry reforming technologies. Some reforming technologies in less advanced stages of development also involve the use of plasma. The raw materials for reforming and partial oxidation technologies can be natural gas including methane, or any carbonaceous feedstock including naphtha and other hydrocarbon fuels. Carbon dioxide can also be used as a co-reactant in the above technologies. The raw materials for gasification technologies can include biomass and / or waste, such as bio-waste, plastics, or any waste containing carbon-rich molecules, or any of the above raw materials.

[0035] The technology and raw materials selected will have an impact on the ratio of carbon to dihydrogen gas finally produced. If the goal is to produce dihydrogen gas, SMR is a favorable method because it generates the highest ratio of dihydrogen to carbon in the output with methane as the input. Throughout this disclosure, examples of natural gas and methane are used as examples of the raw materials for the syngas generation processes described herein. However, the other raw materials described above can be used in place of them.

[0036] The equations for the various technologies described in the previous paragraphs are provided below, where methane from natural gas serves as the raw material in each instance. Specifically with respect to natural gas and methane, the above reforming technologies can be referred to as SMR, autothermal reforming, and dry methane reforming (DMR). In SMR, methane from natural gas is heated with steam, and usually with a catalyst, to produce a mixture of carbon monoxide and dihydrogen. Blue hydrogen can be generated using a process involving the generation of syngas, a syngas generation process in the form of SMR. SMR can be carried out with methane gas as the raw material, followed by a water-gas shift reaction (WGSR), in which carbon monoxide from the syngas reacts with water to produce additional dihydrogen gas and carbon dioxide gas. The equations for SMR and WGSR are as follows:

[0037] SMR: CH 4 + H 2 O -> 3H 2 + CO (1)

[0038] WGS: CO + H 2 O <-> CO 2 + H 2 (2)

[0039] ATR can use water or CO 2is carried out as a co-reactant. With CO 2 as a co-reactant and water as a co-reactant, the ATR equations are:

[0040] ATR (using CO 2 ): 2 CH 4 + O 2 + CO 2 -> 3 H 2 + 3 CO + H 2 O (3)

[0041] ATR (using H 2 O): 4 CH 4 + O 2 + 2 H 2 O -> 10 H 2 + 4 CO (4)

[0042] Dry methane reforming also utilizes carbon dioxide as a co-reactant and can be carried out according to the following formula:

[0043] CH 4 + CO 2 → 2 CO + 2 H 2 (5)

[0044] In the case of POX with methane as the feedstock, partial oxidation of methane is carried out according to the following equation:

[0045] CH 4 + 0.5 O 2 → CO + 2 H 2 (6)

[0046] The choice of syngas generation process for a given production line depends on the available fossil feedstocks and the target syngas ratio. For example, SMR is used to produce a hydrogen-rich syngas stream, where the typical H 2 / CO ratio is 3:1 to 5:1. ATR is used to produce a hydrogen-rich syngas stream, where the typical H 2 / CO ratio is 1:1 to 2.5:1. POX is used to produce a syngas stream, where the typical H 2 / CO ratio is 1.6 to 1.8.

[0047] Gasification involves heat-treating the feedstock material at high temperatures without complete combustion, particularly via the controlled introduction of oxygen or steam. Gasification for producing dihydrogen in the syngas production process can be represented by the following equation:

[0048] Energy-rich substrate for gasification → x H 2 +y CO(7)

[0049] Figure 2A Shows a system 200 for enhancing a syngas generation process according to a specific embodiment of the present invention disclosed herein. The system includes a syngas production system 201, which is configured to produce a volume of syngas using a syngas generation process. The feedstock 202 can be natural gas, biomass, biowaste, carbon-rich waste, or other feedstocks for syngas production as described herein. In embodiments where the feedstock 202 for the syngas production process is at least one of biomass, biowaste, or any carbon-rich waste, the syngas production system 201 can be a gasification system and the syngas generation process performed by the syngas production system can be a gasification process. In embodiments where the feedstock 202 is natural gas, the syngas production system 201 can be a reforming system such as a steam methane reforming system, a dry reforming system, or an autothermal reforming, or an oxidation system such as a partial oxidation system. The syngas production system 201 can be configured to convert the feedstock 202 into syngas 203 using any of the above processes. The syngas 203 can then be conveyed through a first connection 204 and delivered to a separation system 205, which can be used to harvest carbon monoxide 206 from the syngas 203, such as in step 101 as described above. The first connection 204 can also carry carbon dioxide and other impurities with the syngas 203. The carbon monoxide 206 can be provided from the carbon monoxide output of the separation system 205 to a second connection 207. The separation system can be designed to separate at least part of the carbon monoxide from the syngas and deliver a low-carbon syngas or pure dihydrogen gas 208 out of a different pipe or manifold. In the illustrated example, pure dihydrogen gas is generated and delivered out through a separate pipe or connection 211.

[0050] Figure 2A Represents a system in which the harvesting of the volume of carbon monoxide as in step 101 can include a step 251 of supplying a volume of syngas from the syngas production system to the separation system, and a step 252 of using the separation system to separate a volume of dihydrogen and the volume of carbon monoxide from the volume of syngas. In the illustrated case, the volume of dihydrogen is the pure dihydrogen gas 208 collected on a separate pipe or connection 211. However, in alternative embodiments, depending on the original feedstock used for the system, the syngas generation process, and the separation system, the volume of dihydrogen gas can alternatively be dihydrogen with a low carbon content, including a low-carbon dihydrogen gas (i.e., dihydrogen gas and a remaining amount of carbon). The low-carbon dihydrogen gas can then be used as syngas for a specific process that requires the resulting ratio of carbon to dihydrogen or can be further purified.

[0051] The flow chart 100 further includes step 102 of supplying a certain volume of carbon monoxide to the cathode region of the electrolyzer. This step may involve providing a certain volume of carbon monoxide at the cathode input of the electrolyzer at the cathode input of the electrolyzer. The certain volume of carbon monoxide may be mixed with additional fluids to form the cathode input fluid, or may remain pure such that the cathode input fluid is pure carbon monoxide. This step may involve transporting a carbon monoxide tank from the area where carbon monoxide is harvested and connecting it to a connector or pipe connected to the cathode region of the electrolyzer. This step may also involve temporarily storing carbon monoxide in a tank until the electricity price drops, and then performing this action when it becomes more economical to supply the stored carbon monoxide to the electrolyzer. Alternatively, this step may involve transporting carbon monoxide directly from the syngas production system to the electrolyzer in the same industrial facility through a connector or pipe. The electrolyzer may have the features described below with reference to Figures 5 to 7 The features described. The connector or pipe may include seals and valves that allow the controlled delivery of carbon monoxide as the cathode input fluid to the electrolyzer. The connector or pipe may allow alternative fluids (such as water or other raw materials or impurities from the syngas production process) to be mixed with the carbon monoxide in order to form the cathode input fluid for the electrolyzer. This is illustrated by carrying the alternative chemical 217 to the connector 218 of the electrolyzer assembly 209. In FIGS. 2 to 4, the top of the electrolyzer represents the cathode input to the cathode region of the electrolyzer, and the left side of the electrolyzer represents the anode input to the anode region of the electrolyzer. In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the contents of the connector 218 and the connector 207 may be mixed before being provided to the electrolyzer assembly. The connector or pipe may allow carbon monoxide to be alternatively delivered to other systems, such as other electrolyzers or water gas shift systems. The valves and seals and any other necessary instrumentation may be configured to deliver carbon monoxide to one system at a first time and then to a second system at a second time. The connector or pipe may be coupled to a storage tank or a set of tanks located between the electrolyzer and the syngas production system in order to store excess carbon monoxide in the event of any difference in the speeds between the syngas production system and the electrolyzer. Such a storage tank or a set of tanks may also be used to temporarily store carbon monoxide during periods of high electricity costs.

[0052] The flow chart 100 further includes step 103 of using the certain volume of carbon monoxide and an electrolyzer to generate a certain volume of the generated chemical. For example, the electrolyzer 209 can use the carbon monoxide 206 to produce the generated chemical 216. The certain volume of the generated chemical can be at least one of the following: a certain volume of hydrocarbons, a certain volume of organic acids, a certain volume of alcohols, and a certain volume of N-rich organic compounds. Using the process shown, the carbon content of the syngas can be reduced, optionally all the way to producing pure dihydrogen gas from the syngas, and the carbon monoxide can be valorized to produce useful chemicals that can be used as feedstocks in other industrial processes or other useful applications. The disclosed methods and systems can be used to enhance existing syngas production facilities, including those that would otherwise emit any excess carbon monoxide or would use carbon monoxide to obtain additional dihydrogen gas via the water-gas shift reaction and thereby emit carbon dioxide. Using these processes, the production of blue hydrogen can be more economically competitive than the production of grey hydrogen because the market value of the generated chemicals can offset the operating costs of the electrolyzer, and using carbon monoxide to generate these chemicals can offset the costs of carbon storage. In a specific embodiment of the present invention, dihydrogen gas can be used as an input to operate the electrolyzer without external energy or with only a small amount of added external energy. In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the dihydrogen gas used for this purpose can be dihydrogen gas separated from the syngas. In an alternative embodiment, as described below, the dihydrogen gas can be dihydrogen gas generated parasitically by the electrolyzer and then cycled from the cathode output of the electrolyzer to the anode input. For example, Figure 2B System 220 in shows the cycling of dihydrogen 221 on the connection member 222 that connects the cathode output to the anode input such that the dihydrogen generated parasitically at the cathode output is cycled by being fed at the anode input for use as an oxidation substrate. In an alternative embodiment, a portion of the dihydrogen 208 would have been alternatively fed to serve as an oxidation substrate.

[0053] Although Figure 2A the system shown in includes a single separation system and a single electrolyzer, many different variations are possible. For example, multiple separation systems can be connected in series to separate out a certain volume of low-carbon dihydrogen syngas with increasing purity levels, and one or more of the multiple separation systems can be coupled with a single electrolyzer to deliver carbon monoxide. As another example, multiple such separation systems can be coupled with a set of electrolyzers configured to receive cathode inputs with different levels of carbon monoxide volume or concentration.

[0054] System 200 includes an electrolyzer 209 having a cathode input connected to a second connector 207 for the purpose of receiving a volume of carbon monoxide 206. The electrolyzer is represented by the top line of the block as the cathode input and the left line of the block as the anode input. In a specific embodiment, the electrolyzer may further include a cathode output and an anode output to receive output fluids from the cathode region and the anode region. In a specific embodiment, the electrolyzer may further include a separation region output from a separation region of the electrolyzer, the separation region being disposed between the cathode region and the anode region and providing a means to capture additional generated chemicals. In a specific embodiment, chemicals will be captured from both the separation region output and the anode or cathode output. In a specific embodiment, multiple chemicals may be captured in both liquid and gaseous forms from any of these outputs. For example, the volume of generated chemicals may include a volume of gaseous hydrocarbons and a volume of liquid products, the liquid products including at least one of liquid organic acids and liquid alcohols. The volume of gaseous hydrocarbons may be captured from the cathode output of the electrolyzer. Then, the volume of liquid products may be captured by a trap on the cathode output or, if the electrolyzer includes a separation region, may be captured via the separation region output.

[0055] The electrolyzer may receive a volume of fluid at the cathode input and a separate volume of fluid at the anode input. The electrolyzer may convert carbon monoxide received at the cathode input into useful and valuable chemicals through electrolysis. In a specific embodiment of the present invention disclosed below, additional chemicals such as nitrogen-containing reactants like ammonia, water, electrolyte water, or steam may be provided to the cathode input together with carbon monoxide. For example, these additional chemicals may be provided via connector 218 or combined with the carbon monoxide in connector 207 before being provided to the electrolyzer assembly 209. In a specific embodiment of the present invention disclosed below, different chemicals (including one or more of water, electrolyte, oxidation substrate, and dihydrogen gas) may be provided to the anode region. The dihydrogen gas may be dihydrogen gas taken from a syngas generation process or separately supplied dihydrogen gas. The dihydrogen gas may also be parasitic dihydrogen generated in the cathode region, which is recycled from the cathode output of the electrolyzer back to the anode input of the electrolyzer. In Figure 2A it, the electrolyzer 209 receives water 212 from connector 213 at the anode input and an oxidation substrate 214 from connector 215 at the anode input. In a specific embodiment of the present invention, additional chemicals such as water and the oxidation substrate may be combined and provided to the electrolyzer assembly via a single connector. The water provided to the anode input or the cathode input may be provided by a water source. The water source may provide a fluid stream including water. The water from the water source may be pure deionized water, electrolyte water, or water mixed with any other chemicals.

[0056] The generated chemicals can be removed from the electrolyzer in liquid or gaseous form from the generated chemical output. The generated chemical output can be fluidly coupled to the separation region of the electrolyzer. In Figure 2A useful chemical 216 is withdrawn from the electrolyzer via an output collected from the cathode output stream from the cathode region. In the alternative embodiments disclosed below, useful chemicals can be collected via a separation region between the anode region and the cathode region of the electrolyzer.

[0057] It is noted that the flowchart 100 lacks a step of performing a water-gas shift to harvest more dihydrogen using carbon monoxide. In fact, while some of the processes represented by flowchart 100 can be used in combination with the processes that utilize water-gas shift as described below, these processes do not require the use of water-gas shift, and alternatively using carbon monoxide as a feedstock for the electrolysis process rather than as a feedstock for the water-gas shift reaction is a key aspect of the specific embodiments of the present invention disclosed herein. In these specific embodiments of the present invention, the carbon monoxide in the natural gas that is used as a feedstock for the overall volume of the syngas generation process is not used in the water-gas shift reaction. For example, the feedstock 202 can be a volume of natural gas, and the carbon monoxide derived from that volume of natural gas is not used in the water-gas shift reactor. Instead, all of the carbon monoxide can be used as a volume of carbon monoxide 206. In these embodiments, the syngas production system (e.g., syngas production system 201) can be an SMR reactor and can perform an SMR process on a volume of natural gas. In these embodiments, pure dihydrogen can be the desired output of the system. However, according to the specific embodiments disclosed below, carbon monoxide can be used in the electrolyzer rather than in the water-gas shift reactor to produce more dihydrogen. As described below, in an alternative embodiment, at least a portion of the carbon monoxide in the connector 204 can be used in the WGS reaction, and another portion of the carbon monoxide in the connector 204 can be provided to the electrolyzer assembly.

[0058] A method in which the WGS reaction run using carbon monoxide from the syngas generation process is replaced with an electrolyzer run using carbon monoxide from the syngas generation process yields specific benefits. In the system in which the syngas generation system is used to ultimately produce dihydrogen, it is of interest to also increase the ratio of dihydrogen gas to carbon monoxide compared to what is produced via first SMR-driven syngas generation production. To this end, a WGS reaction step is added for producing additional H from CO according to the following reaction 2 :

[0059] WGS: CO + H 2 O → CO 2 + H 2 (8)

[0060] In the case of the coupling of SMR and WGS, the overall equation is:

[0061] SMR + WGS: CH 4 + 2 H 2 O → 4 H 2 + CO 2 (9)

[0062] This combined process allows for the production of four moles of dihydrogen gas per mole of methane, rather than just three moles of dihydrogen gas in the absence of the WGS step. However, the cost of this step is the production of one mole of carbon dioxide for every additional mole of dihydrogen produced. Therefore, in order for this dihydrogen to be blue hydrogen, the carbon dioxide must be captured and permanently sequestered, which is expensive. Assuming the use of the process of Equation 9 and the emission of all carbon dioxide, the cost (C 灰H2 ) of grey hydrogen is $1,000 per ton of dihydrogen gas. The mass of carbon dioxide to be captured (m(CO 2 )) is a function of the mass of H 2 produced by Reaction 9:

[0063]

[0064] where m(CO2) is the mass of carbon dioxide produced in Reaction 9, n(CO2) is the corresponding number of moles of carbon dioxide, M(CO2) is the molar mass of carbon dioxide (44 g·mol -1 ), m(H2) is the mass of dihydrogen gas produced in Reaction 9, n(H2) is the corresponding number of moles of dihydrogen gas, and M(H2) is the molar mass of dihydrogen gas (2 g·mol -1 ). Therefore, the mass of carbon dioxide to be captured per ton of dihydrogen gas produced is equal to:

[0065]

[0066] Therefore, assuming a carbon dioxide capture cost of $30 per ton and an additional storage cost of $110 per ton for geological sequestration of carbon dioxide, the cost (C 蓝H2 ) of producing blue hydrogen using SMR and WGS, expressed per ton of dihydrogen gas and the cost of one ton of grey hydrogen, is:

[0067] C 蓝H2 = C 灰H2 + $140 × 5.5 = $1000 + $770 = $1770 (12)

[0068] By suppressing the WGS step and by advantageously coupling the SMR step with the CO electrolysis step to produce valuable carbon-based products, we can counterintuitively reduce the cost of equivalent low-carbon dihydrogen. This is counterintuitive because by suppressing the WGS step, the cost of dihydrogen gas increases to $1,333 per ton of dihydrogen gas. This is because we are now producing 3 moles of dihydrogen gas at the same cost as 4 moles of dihydrogen gas. The cost is effectively the same because most of the process cost comes from the SMR step compared to the WGS step. However, in a specific embodiment, the WGS step is purposefully replaced by a carbon monoxide capture step that is designed to capture the carbon monoxide generated during the SMR step and supply it to a carbon monoxide electrolyzer to produce high-value carbon-based products. From an economic perspective, this translates to the following analysis. The mass of carbon monoxide (m(CO)) to be captured is a function of the mass of dihydrogen gas produced by SMR (without the WGS reaction) and is provided by the following relationship:

[0069]

[0070] where m(CO) is the mass of carbon monoxide produced in Reaction 1, n(CO) is the corresponding number of moles of carbon monoxide, M(CO) is the molar mass of carbon dioxide (28 g·mol -1 ), m(H2) is the mass of dihydrogen gas produced in Reaction 1, n(H2) is the corresponding number of moles of dihydrogen gas, and M(H2) is the molar mass of dihydrogen gas (2 g·mol -1 ).

[0071] For every t H2 produced, the mass of CO that needs to be captured is equal to:

[0072]

[0073] Therefore, assuming a capture cost of $30 per ton of carbon monoxide, similar to the capture cost of carbon dioxide, the cost of low-carbon dihydrogen is:

[0074] C 低碳H2 = $1333 + $30 × 4.7 = $1474 (15)

[0075] Therefore, by replacing the WGS with a carbon capture step that valorizes the downstream carbon monoxide, the economic benefit of producing low-carbon dihydrogen gas is equal to $1770 - $1474 = $296, and the carbon monoxide fed into the electrolyzer can be valorized by selling a certain volume of the chemicals produced. Using this system, the price of low-carbon dihydrogen gas is not only lower than the target cost of green hydrogen ($2000 per ton of dihydrogen gas), but also provides valuable carbon feedstocks for the production of valuable products, particularly hydrocarbons, alcohols, and organic acids, such as but not limited to ethylene, ethanol, acetic acid, propylene, and propanol.

[0076] Another advantage of the specific embodiments of the present invention is that existing facilities for producing dihydrogen gas and syngas already include separate reactors for the above-described syngas generation process, such that installing a separation system and an electrolyzer assembly to harvest and separate carbon monoxide can be as simple as connecting a new machine to an existing output on a connection, which would otherwise be sent to a WGS reactor. In a typical syngas generation and WGS system, the syngas generation process is endothermic. In the case of SMR, it is typically carried out at 800 °C - 1000 °C and 20 - 30 bar in the presence of a nickel-based catalyst. However, the WGS process is exothermic, requires different conditions to be optimized, and is therefore preferably carried out in a separate reactor. Due to its exothermicity, the formation of dihydrogen gas by WGS is thermodynamically unfavorable at high temperatures, although the reaction is kinetically favorable as the temperature increases. Therefore, to benefit from both the thermodynamic and kinetic advantages simultaneously, WGS is typically carried out in a two-step process, a first high-temperature shift step (usually carried out at 300 °C - 450 °C using an iron oxide-based catalyst) and a low-temperature process (usually carried out at 200 °C - 250 °C using a copper or copper oxide-based catalyst supported on a mixture of alumina and zinc oxide). In this system, the reactors typically used to carry out the two-step water gas shift (i.e., low-temperature and high-temperature shift) are suppressed and replaced with a separation system that allows the separation of dihydrogen from carbon monoxide, and the latter can then be used in the carbon monoxide electrolysis step of the electrolyzer discussed herein. Thus, two separate WGS systems can be replaced with a separation system and a single electrolyzer, which can maintain or reduce the fixed costs of the production line.

[0077] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, some of the carbon monoxide from the raw feedstock is sent to the electrolyzer and some is sent to the water gas shift reactor. Figure 3ASystem 300 is shown, in which feedstock 301 (e.g., natural gas) is provided to a syngas production system in the form of a reforming reactor 302. Subsequently, a portion of the carbon monoxide 303 is provided via a third connection 211 to a water gas shift reactor 304, which produces additional dihydrogen gas and carbon dioxide 305 from the carbon monoxide 303 and water 306. Although the method will produce carbon dioxide, the specific embodiments of the present invention discussed below can utilize the carbon dioxide as described below such that it does not need to be captured and sequestered.

[0078] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, carbon monoxide derived from the original feedstock is sent directly to the water gas shift reactor, and the output of the water gas shift reactor is sent to a separation system where the remaining carbon monoxide can be separated and fed into an electrolyzer. Figure 3B System 310 is shown, in which feedstock 301 is provided to a syngas production system in the form of a reforming reactor 302. Subsequently, all of the syngas produced by the reforming reactor 302 is supplied to a water gas shift reactor 311, which also receives a volume of water 316. The output 313 of the WGS reactor 311 is in the form of dihydrogen gas mixed with carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. The output 313 can then be applied to a separation system 312, which provides carbon monoxide 314 to an electrolyzer 209 along a connection 315, where the carbon monoxide can be converted into a useful feedstock as referenced Figure 2A as described. In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the reforming reactor can perform a DMR or ATR reaction using carbon dioxide as an input, and the carbon dioxide generated by the water gas shift reactor 311 can be separated out and fed back as an input to the reforming reactor 302, as described below.

[0079] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the syngas generation process can be a reforming process, such as an autothermal or dry reforming process, such as a DMR process performed on natural gas. From an environmental perspective, these processes have the additional advantage of using carbon dioxide as an input, such that the process serves to capture carbon dioxide as well as provide the environmental benefits already described. These processes can be referred to as carbon dioxide-consuming reforming processes and the associated systems can be referred to as carbon dioxide-consuming reforming systems. In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the syngas production system can be a dry methane reforming system and can perform a dry methane reforming process on a volume of natural gas and a volume of carbon dioxide. The syngas production system can be configured to produce a volume of syngas using both the volume of natural gas and the volume of carbon dioxide.

[0080] In Figure 4AIn the system 400, the syngas production system is a reforming reactor 401, such as a dry methane reforming reactor or an autothermal reforming reactor. Figure 4A It also includes a step 410 of supplying a certain volume of carbon dioxide for use by the syngas production system, which can be performed before the start of the steps in flowchart 100. For example, the feedstock 402 can be methane, and the reforming reactor 401 can be a DMR reactor that receives both the feedstock 402 and carbon dioxide from a carbon dioxide source 403 on the connection 404.

[0081] The carbon dioxide for the dry reforming process can be provided by various carbon dioxide sources. For example, a carbon dioxide source can be captured from a carbon emission process in another industrial process occurring in the same single industrial facility as the hydrogen production or syngas production line for which it is desired to capture carbon dioxide. As another example, the hydrogen production line can include a water gas shift reactor as in Figure 4A and the carbon dioxide produced by this reaction can be fed back as at least a portion of the carbon dioxide source 403. In these embodiments, both the harvesting step 101 and the supplying step 410 can occur in a single industrial facility. These processes can include connections, such as connection 404, which connects the carbon dioxide output fluid of the carbon dioxide emission source (represented by the carbon source 403) to the syngas production system (e.g., the reforming reactor 401). In these embodiments, existing connections for discharging carbon dioxide can be reused to supply carbon dioxide to the syngas production system, although this can only be done to a certain extent depending on the target H 2 :CO ratio. In alternative embodiments, the certain volume of carbon dioxide can come from a carbon dioxide storage tank (represented by the carbon source 403) storing carbon emitted at different times or at different facilities. For example, the carbon dioxide source 403 can be a storage tank or a carbon dioxide transport pipeline.

[0082] In Figure 4B the system 420, the syngas production system is a partial oxidation reactor 453 and the feedstock is a suitable feedstock for a gasification reactor, such as biomass or carbonaceous waste 422. Figure 4B The remaining elements of the system in Figure 2A , Figure 3 and Figure 4A can be similar to those cited. In alternative embodiments, the water gas shift reactor 302 can be replaced with a Fischer - Tropsch reactor, followed by an upgrading reactor to upgrade the crude product to a usable fuel. Such systems can enable the production of sustainable aviation fuel. In particular, the carbon dioxide produced by the shown WGS reactor 302 can be fed back as an input to the partial oxidation reactor 453.

[0083] In Figure 4CIn system 450, the syngas production system is the oxidation reactor 421 and the feedstock is a suitable feedstock for the oxidation reactor, such as methane 451 and oxygen 452. In system 450, the oxygen 452 can be the oxygen harvested from the electrolyzer 209 at the anode output of the electrolyzer. As shown, the oxygen can include additional oxygen provided from a separate source, since the harvested oxygen is typically not sufficient to continue to fully supply the oxidation reactor. Oxygen is generated when the electrolyzer oxidizes water supplied to the anode input of the electrolyzer. The oxidation reactor can perform a partial oxidation process. In an alternative embodiment, the oxygen generated by oxidizing water supplied to the anode input by the electrolyzer can be valorized in a separate process, or it can be separated and stored. Then, the stored oxygen can be sold, for example, as purified oxygen.

[0084] In Figure 4D system 460, the syngas production system can use the parasitic output of the electrolyzer to have an increased concentration of dihydrogen, or a greater volume of purified dihydrogen, in the produced syngas. As shown, the electrolyzer 209 can produce parasitic dihydrogen 461 in the cathode region of the electrolyzer, and output it to the cathode output of the electrolyzer and convey it via the connection 462 to enhance the dihydrogen production by the WGS reactor 302 or any other system for producing dihydrogen in the overall system to which the electrolyzer belongs. The dihydrogen can be separated from the useful product 216, which is also output on the cathode output generated at 216. For example, if the useful products are fluids, they can be separated via a trap on the connection 462 while the gaseous dihydrogen remains in the connection.

[0085] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the syngas production device is advantageously integrated with a carbon monoxide electrolyzer that includes a cathode region where carbon monoxide reduction according to Equation 16 below occurs and an anode region where an oxidation reaction of an oxidation substrate occurs at the anode. The oxidation substrate can be water, dihydrogen gas, a halide, organic waste, or any other oxidation substrate. For example, the oxidation can involve water oxidation or dihydrogen oxidation according to Equations 17 and 18 below, respectively.

[0086] xCO+(x+y-z)H 2 O+(2x+y-2z)e - →C x H y O z +(2x+y-2z)OH - (16)

[0087] 2H 2 O→4H + +4e - +O 2 (17)

[0088] H 2 →2H + +2e - (18)

[0089] Both carbon monoxide and the oxidized substrate can be mixed with additional chemicals to alter the characteristics of the reactor and the characteristics of the chemicals produced by the electrolyzer. For example, and with reference to Figure 2A , water (not shown) and carbon monoxide 206 can be combined to form the cathode input fluid for the electrolyzer assembly, while the oxidized substrate 214 (such as dihydrogen) is provided on another connector 215 coupled to the anode input of the electrolyzer.

[0090] The chemicals produced by the electrolyzer can vary in different embodiments of the present invention. Separation elements can be used to separate the chemicals, such as wells for liquid chemicals on the anode or cathode output of the electrolyzer, or a separation region between the cathode region and the anode region, which has its own output from the electrolyzer. The produced chemicals can be removed from the electrolyzer in solid or gaseous form and can be removed from the cathode or anode output streams on the cathode or anode output of the electrolyzer, or from a separate output from the separation layer. Examples of such separation layers are provided below. A single electrolyzer can produce chemicals in both gaseous and liquid forms simultaneously. Thus, a certain volume of chemicals generated in a step such as step 103 can include at least one of a certain volume of hydrocarbons, a certain volume of organic acids, a certain volume of alcohols, a certain volume of olefins, and a certain volume of N-rich organic compounds, where the chemicals are in gaseous or liquid form. For example, the certain volume of the produced chemicals can include a certain volume of gaseous hydrocarbons and a certain volume of liquid alcohols. As another example, the certain volume of the produced chemicals can include a certain volume of gaseous hydrocarbons and a certain volume of organic acids. In a specific embodiment, the main target products are ethylene (in the gaseous product stream) and acetic acid / acetic salts (in the liquid product stream).

[0091] In cases such as the production of low-carbon dihydrogen gas (where the water-gas shift reaction would otherwise occur), such systems are particularly advantageous because they are able to add value to carbon monoxide before it is converted to carbon dioxide, which otherwise occurs during the water-gas shift reaction. Thus, the system can unlock the production of low-carbon SMR-derived dihydrogen (similar to blue hydrogen) without the need for carbon capture and sequestration facilities. In addition, compared to those feedstocks conventionally produced by petroleum-derived processes (such as but not limited to naphtha cracking and ethane dehydration), it can co-produce valuable carbon-based feedstocks with a low carbon footprint.

[0092] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the oxidation substrate is dihydrogen gas, and the dihydrogen gas is supplied by a syngas production process. The system may include a second output from a separation system that separates dihydrogen from syngas, and a connection that fluidly connects the second output of the separation system to the anode region of the electrolyzer. For example, the second output may be taken from the separation system 205 and connected to the connection in Figure 2A the connection 215 therein. Then, the process performed by the system may include separating a second volume of dihydrogen from the certain volume of syngas. Then, using the certain volume of carbon monoxide to generate useful chemicals by the electrolyzer may include supplying the certain volume of carbon monoxide as a cathode input fluid to the cathode region of the electrolyzer, and supplying the second volume of dihydrogen as an anode input fluid to the anode region of the electrolyzer.

[0093] The carbon monoxide electrolyzer used according to the present disclosure may include one or more electrocatalytic cells arranged on top of each other or adjacent to each other to increase the surface available for the reaction. They can be stacked on top of each other, and such stacks can be paralleled. These cells can be connected in series or in parallel. Many different cell and stack configurations can be used for the electrolyzer according to the present disclosure. Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the electrolyzer 500 is provided for illustrative purposes. The methods and systems disclosed herein are widely applicable to electrolyzers that are generally capable of receiving a carbon input (such as carbon monoxide), and the electrolyzer 500 is provided as a non-limiting example of such an electrolyzer.

[0094] Figure 5 An illustration of the electrolyzer 500 in a stacked form according to a specific embodiment of the present invention disclosed herein is included. The electrolyzer assembly 500 includes end plates such as 502, monopolar plates such as 504, rigid rods such as 506, membrane electrode assemblies (MEA) such as 508 or any form of catalytic core, flow fields such as 510, and bipolar plates such as 512. Again, while an example of an MEA is provided, this is only an example, and an electrolyzer with any form of catalytic core can be used according to the embodiments disclosed herein. Additionally, the stack 500 includes an inlet 514 and an outlet 516 for the anode flow, and an inlet 518 and an outlet 520 for the cathode flow. The plates (such as the monopolar plate 504 and the bipolar plate 512) can be part of the cells in the stack. The stack may also include gaskets and seals of any shape and material, which are not shown in Figure 5 for clarity.

[0095] In the electrolysis stack, subsequent cells can be connected by bipolar plates (BPPs) (such as Figure 5The bipolar plates 512) are physically separated, which ensures mechanical support for each electrolytic cell on each side of the BPP. The BPP also ensures electrical series connection between subsequent electrolytic cells and separately introduces / removes reactants / products. At the end of the stack, only one side of the plate can be in contact with the terminal cell; then it is called a monopolar plate, such as Figure 5 the monopolar plate 504 in. At the end of the stack, the current collector can be connected to an external power source, which can also be used for electrical monitoring of the stack, among other components. The stack can be assembled within a stack housing, allowing for its mechanical support and compression, as well as the supply of reactants to the stack and the transport of product streams from the stack. The stack housing can include end plates that ensure electrical isolation of the stack and provide inlets and outlets for the reaction and product streams. Alternatively, insulating plates can be placed between the end plates (such as 502) and the monopolar plates (such as 504) to ensure electrical insulation of the stack from the stack housing, depending on the material of the end plates.

[0096] The carbon monoxide electrolyzer can take a cathode input stream (e.g., a stream rich in carbon monoxide) and an anode input stream as inputs. The cathode input stream can be supplied to an inlet such as inlet 518. The anode input stream can be supplied to an inlet such as inlet 514. The cathode and anode streams can flow from the inlets through the stack to the outlets and are separately distributed to each cathode and anode region through flow channels such as the flow channels 510 of each cell. The anode and cathode streams will flow through separate channels on each side of the cell. Alternatively, at least one of the cathode and anode streams can be supplied to each cell individually rather than through a connection that passes through all the plates. In this case, each cell has dedicated fluid inlets and outlets for the cathode and / or anode streams. The properties of the anode stream can be determined by the properties of the target oxidation reaction (such as but not limited to water oxidation, dihydrogen oxidation, chloride oxidation, halide oxidation, hydrocarbon oxidation, waste organic oxidation). When energized, the carbon monoxide electrolyzer simultaneously reduces carbon monoxide and oxidizes a selected oxidation substrate to produce value-added chemicals (such as hydrocarbons, organic acids, and / or alcohols and / or N-containing organic products) in an output cathode stream that is separated from the anode stream in which the oxidation products are specifically collected. For example, using carbon monoxide and an electrolyzer to generate chemicals in step 103 can involve supplying a certain volume of carbon monoxide as a cathode input fluid to the cathode region of the electrolyzer and a certain volume of water as an anode input fluid to the anode region of the electrolyzer.

[0097] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the anode region may include an anode catalyst layer capable of oxidizing a substance to produce a product and protons. The catalyst may include one or more of: molecular substances, single-metal-site heterogeneous compounds, metal compounds, carbon-based compounds, polymer electrolytes (also known as ionomers), metal-organic frameworks, metal-doped covalent organic frameworks, or any other additives. The molecular substances may be selected from metal porphyrins, metal phthalocyanines, or metal bipyridine complexes. The metal compounds may be in the form of metal nanoparticles, nanowires, nanopowders, nanoarrays, nanosheets, nanocubes, dendrites, thin films, layers, or mesoporous structures. The single-metal-site compounds may include metal-doped carbon-based materials or metal-N-C-based compounds. The anode catalyst substances for this purpose may include, but are not limited to, the following metals and / or ions: Ir, Co, Cu, Ni, Fe, Pt, Rh, Re, Ru, Pd, Os, Mo, and their mixtures and / or alloys. For example, the anode catalyst may be Ni, such that the electrolyzer assembly includes a nickel-based anode. The polymer electrolyte may be selected from the same materials as those used for the membrane. The carbon-based compounds may include carbon nanofibers, carbon nanotubes, carbon black, graphite, boron-doped diamond powder, diamond nanopowder, boron nitride, or combinations thereof. The additives may be halide-based compounds, including F, Br, I, and Cl. These additives may be specifically used to change the hydrophobicity, such as treatment with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or carbon black.

[0098] The anode catalyst may be deposited onto a gas diffusion layer or a porous transport layer or any other support that facilitates the diffusion of gas from the anode interface to a purified gas stream separated from the cathode stream. The anode region may also include a gas diffusion layer having one or more separators on its boundaries, such as, but not limited to, membranes, polymeric materials, diaphragms, inorganic materials, as described below.

[0099] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the cathode region may include a catalyst layer capable of reducing a substance (e.g., carbon monoxide) to produce additional hydrocarbons / alcohols / organic acids. The catalyst may include one or more of: molecular substances, single metal site heterogeneous compounds, metal compounds, carbon-based compounds, polymer electrolytes (also known as ionomers), metal-organic frameworks, or metal-doped covalent organic frameworks, or any other additives. The molecular substances may be selected from metal porphyrins, metal phthalocyanines, or metal bipyridine complexes. The metal compounds may be in the form of metal nanoparticles, nanowires, nanopowders, nanoarrays, nanosheets, nanocubes, dendrites, thin films, layers, or mesoporous structures. The single metal site compounds may include metal-doped carbon-based materials or metal-N-C-based compounds. The cathode catalyst may be made of a metal or metal ions from a metal, such as but not limited to Cu, Ag, Au, Zn, Sn, Bi, Ni, Fe, Co, Pd, Ir, Pt, Mn, Re, Ru, La, Tb, Ce, Dy, or other lanthanide elements, and mixtures and / or alloys thereof. For example, the cathode catalyst may contain Cu such that the electrolyzer assembly includes a copper-based cathode. The polymer electrolyte may be selected from the same materials as those used for the membrane. The carbon-based compounds may include carbon nanofibers, carbon nanotubes, carbon black, graphite, boron-doped diamond powder, diamond nanopowder, boron nitride, or combinations thereof. The additives may be halide-based compounds, including F, Br, I, Cl. These additives may be specifically used to change the hydrophobicity, such as treatment with PTFE or carbon black. The cathode may also include a catalyst layer on a gas diffusion layer, a porous transport layer, or any other support that promotes the diffusion of gas from the flow to the surface of the catalyst and allows the release of non-reactive / product gases. The cathode region may also include a gas diffusion layer having one or more separators on its boundary, such as but not limited to membranes, polymer materials, diaphragms, inorganic materials, as described below.

[0100] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the porous support for the anode region, cathode region, or both can be selected from carbon-based porous supports or metal-based porous materials or combinations thereof. The carbon-based porous support can be based on carbon fibers, carbon cloth, carbon felt, carbon fabric, carbon paper, molded graphite laminates, etc. or mixtures thereof. The carbon-based porous support can be a gas diffusion layer with or without a microporous layer. Such carbon-based supports can be particularly selected from the following list: Sigracet 39AA, Sigracet 39BC, Sigracet 39BB, Sigracet 39BA, Sigracet 36AA, Sigracet 36BB, Sigracet 35BC, Sigracet 35BA, Sigracet 29BA, Sigracet 28BB, Sigracet 28AA, Sigracet 28BC, Sigracet 25BC, Sigracet 22BB, Sigracet 35BI, Toray paper, Toray THP-H-030, Toray TGP-H-060, Toray TGP-H-090, Toray TGP-H-120, Freudenberg H23C6, Freudenberg H15C13, Freudenberg H15C14, Freudenberg H14C10, Freudenberg H14CX483, FreudenbergH14CX653, Freudenberg H23C2, Freudenberg H23CX653, Freudenberg H24CX483, Freudenberg H23C6, Freudenberg H23C8, Freudenberg H24C5, Freudenberg H23C3, Avcarb MB-30, Avcarb GDS5130, Avcarb GDS2130, Avcarb GDS3250, Avcarb GDS3260, Avcarb GDS2230, Avcarb GDS2240, Avcarb GDS2255, Avcarb GDS2185, AvCar 1071, AvCarb1698, AvCarbon1209, AvCarb 1185, AvCarb1186, AvCarb 7497, AvCarb T1819, AvCarbT1820, AvCarb T1824, AvCarbon 1071, AvCarb 1698, AvCarb 1209, AvCarb1185, AvCarb1186, AvCarb 1186, AvCarb T1819, AvCarbT1820, AvCarb T1824, AvCarb EP40, AvCarb P75, AvCarb EP55, AvCarbon EP40T, AvCarb P75T, AvCarb EP55T, AvCarb MGL190, AvCarb MGL280, AvCarb MGL370. The metal-based porous support can be selected from titanium, stainless steel, Ni, Cu, or any other suitable metal and can be in the form of a mesh, frit, foam, or plate of any thickness or porosity.

[0101] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the electrolyzer can include a separation element to separate the specifically generated chemicals from other substances. The separation element can be one or more wells on the cathode and / or anode outputs of the electrolyzer that separate the liquid output from the gaseous output. For the purpose of effective product separation, it can also be a more complex system known to those skilled in the art. The separation element can be a separation region between the anode region and the cathode region, which is configured to separate a certain volume of the generated chemicals from the electrolyzer. The separation region can be a separation layer. The effective physical separation of the anode region and the cathode region can allow for easier separation of the gases released from each part of the reactor. The separator can be an ion-conducting polymer separator, a non-ion-conducting polymer separator, a diaphragm, a ceramic material-containing, an uncharged separator support, a hybrid ceramic-organic compound separator, or any other separator. The separation can be carried out by using: a diffusion ion-exchange membrane that favors the diffusion of anions (in an anion-exchange membrane) or cations (in a cation-exchange membrane), or a bipolar membrane (including a mixture of a cation-exchange membrane and an anion-exchange membrane) or other types of separators, such as a diaphragm, a ceramic material-containing (especially a hybrid ceramic / organic compound) or an uncharged separator support. The anion-exchange membrane can include an organic polymer having a positively charged functionality (such as, but not limited to, imidazolium, pyridinium, or tertiary amine). This allows the negatively charged hydroxide ions (OH-) generated during the carbon monoxide reduction process to easily migrate from the cathode to the anode. The use of this layer also prevents other gases from permeating from the cathode to the separation layer. The cation-exchange membrane can include an organic polymer having a negatively charged functionality (such as, but not limited to, a sulfonic acid group). The diaphragm or the uncharged separator can be a material derived from an insulating material, which can be charged with an ion-conducting electrolyte to facilitate charge transfer between the electrodes. The ceramic material-containing can be a pure ceramic or a mixture of a polymer and a ceramic material. The ceramic-polymer mixture can reach a higher temperature than a pure organic polymer and can utilize the ion-exchange functionality in the polymer to transfer charge between the electrodes.

[0102] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the system may include an electrolyte that will facilitate the transport of ions and provide ions that promote the reaction. In particular, the electrolyte may be a concentrated alkaline solution, such as a solution of a hydroxide salt such as but not limited to potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, or cesium hydroxide, having a concentration such as (0.01 molarity (M), 0.05 M, 0.1 M, 0.2 M, 0.5 M, 1 M, 2 M, 3 M, 4 M, 5 M, 6 M, 7 M, 8 M, 9 M, and 10 M). The use of a concentrated alkaline solution reduces the energy requirement of the overall reaction. Alkali metal cations (such as Li, Na, K, Cs, Rb) may be used as counter cations.

[0103] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the flow field may include ladders, single or multiple serpentine structures, interdigitated patterns, pillars, biomimetic leaf-like shapes, or combinations thereof. The electrolytic cell may also include electrode plates, as further discussed in this disclosure

[0104] Figure 6 and Figure 7 An example of a reaction that can be carried out according to the electrolyzer assembly described herein is shown. In the schematic diagram, for clarity, only a single cell is shown, but these cells can be easily assembled into multiple cells, such as stacks. In the schematic diagram, the carbon monoxide electrolyzer includes a cathode containing a gas diffusion layer and a copper-based catalyst, and the anode includes a nickel material of any shape (such as but not limited to foam, mesh, deposited on a conductive porous transport layer (PTL), etc.). In this case, the carbon monoxide reduction products include one or more of the following: ethylene (C 2 H 4 ), ethanol (C 2 H 5 OH), acetic acid (CH 3 COOH), propylene (C 3 H 6 ), propanol (C 3 H 8 O), oxalic acid (COOH-COOH), acrylic acid (C 2 H 3 COOH), glyoxylic acid (COH-COOH), which are produced according to the following carbon monoxide reduction reactions:

[0105] Under neutral / alkaline conditions:

[0106] 2CO + 6H 2 O + 8e - → CH 2 CH 2 + 8OH - (19)

[0107] 2CO + 7H 2 O + 8e - → CH3 CH 2 OH + 8OH - (20)

[0108] 2CO + 4H 2 O + 4e - →CH 3 COOH + 4OH - (21)

[0109] 3CO + 5H 2 O + 6e - →C 2 H 3 COOH + 6OH - (22)

[0110] 3CO + 9H 2 O + 12e - →C 3 H 6 + 12OH - (23)

[0111] 3CO + 10H 2 O + 12e - →C 3 H 8 O + 12OH - (24)

[0112] Under acidic conditions:

[0113] 2CO + 8H + + 8e - →CH 2 CH 2 + 2H 2 O(25)

[0114] 2CO + 8H + + 8e - →CH 3 CH 2 OH + H 2 O(26)

[0115] 2CO + 4H + + 4e - →CH 3 COOH(27)

[0116] 3CO + 6H + 6e - →C 2 H 3 COOH + H 2 O(28)

[0117] 3CO + 12H ++12e - →C 3 H 6 +3H 2 O(29)

[0118] 3CO + 12H + +12e - →C 3 H 8 O + 2H 2 O(30)

[0119] In a specific embodiment, the CO stream is mixed with other gases or liquid compounds to produce higher value-added products at the cathode. In one such embodiment, imines, amines, nitrogen oxides, or ammonia are added to react with CO or intermediates formed during its reduction to form amide bonds or N-rich organic compounds such as amino acids or urea. Examples of such reactions are:

[0120] Under neutral / alkaline conditions, 2CO + 3H 2 O + NH 3 +4e - →CH 3 CONH 2 +4OH - (31)

[0121] Under acidic conditions, 2CO + 4H + +NH 3 +4e - →CH 3 CONH 2 +H 2 O(32)

[0122] In a specific embodiment, the oxidation reaction at the anode is selected from the group consisting of reactions carried out in an acidic environment and reactions carried out in a basic environment, such as but not limited to the anodic reactions in an acidic environment, such as:

[0123] 2H 2 O → O 2 +4H + +4e - (33)

[0124] H 2 →2H + +2e - (34)

[0125] Cl - →Cl 2 +2e - (35)

[0126] Br - →Br 2+2e - (36)

[0127] l - →I 2 +2e - (37)

[0128] C 3 H 8 O 3 (Glycerol) → C 3 H 6 O 3 (Glyceraldehyde) + 2H + +2e - (38)

[0129] C 3 H 8 O 3 (Glycerol) + H 2 O → C 3 H 5 O 4 - (Glyceraldehyde) + 5H + +4e - (39)

[0130] C 3 H 8 O 3 (Glycerol) + 3 / 2H 2 O → 3 / 2C 2 H 3 O 3 - +13 / 2H + +5e - (40)

[0131] C 3 H 8 O 3 (Glycerol) + 3H 2 O → 3HCOO - (Formate) + 11H + +8e - (41)

[0132] C 3 H 8 O 3 (Glycerol) + 3H 2 O → 3 / 2C 2 O 4 2- +14H + +11e - (42)

[0133] and anodic reactions in neutral / alkaline environments, such as:

[0134] 4OH - →O 2 +2H 2 O + 4e - (43)

[0135] H 2 +2OH - →2H 2 O + 2e - (44)

[0136] Cl - →Cl 2 +2e - (45)

[0137] Br - →Br 2 +2e - (46)

[0138] I - →I 2 +2e - (47)

[0139] C 3 H 8 O 3 (glycerol) + 2OH - →C 3 H 6 O 3 (glyceraldehyde) + 2H 2 O + 2e - (48)

[0140] C 3 H 8 O 3 (glycerol) + 5OH - →C 3 H 5 O 4 - (glyceraldehyde) + 4H 2 O + 4e - (49)

[0141] C 3 H 8 O 3 (glycerol) + 13 / 2OH - →3 / 2C 2 H 3 O 3 - +5H 2 O + 5e - (50)

[0142] C3 H 8 O 3 (glycerol) + 11OH - →3HCOO - (formate) + 8H 2 O + 8e - (51)

[0143] C 3 H 8 O 3 (glycerol) + 14 OH - → 3 / 2 C 2 O 4 2- + 11 H 2 O + 11 e - (52)

[0144] In specific embodiments of the present invention, the carbon monoxide electrolyzer includes one or more membranes selected from anion exchange membranes (such as but not limited to commercially available ionomer anion exchange membranes), proton exchange membranes (such as but not limited to or commercially available membranes), bipolar membranes (such as but not limited to FBM and ). In specific embodiments of the present invention, the membranes in the anion exchange membranes are prepared using N-containing monomers. In an example of the reactor 600, the electrolyzer includes an anion exchange membrane and hydroxide moves from the cathode to the anode. The oxidation products depend on the oxidation substrate, and the products harvested from the cathode output can be any of the above-generated chemicals. In an example of the reactor 602, the electrolyzer includes a cation exchange membrane and protons move from the anode to the cathode. The oxidation products again depend on the oxidation substrate, and the products harvested from the cathode output can be any of the above-generated chemicals.

[0145] In specific embodiments of the present invention, the electrolyzer may include a separation layer. In an example of the reactor 601, the carbon monoxide electrolyzer includes a central separation layer in which the electrolyte fluid circulates, allowing the collection of liquid carbon monoxide reduction products migrating from the cathode towards the central separation layer. In a specific embodiment, the central separation layer is separated from the cathode either by an anion exchange membrane or by a cation exchange membrane, or both membranes are present. In an example of the reactor 601, both membranes are present. In this example, useful products can be harvested from both the liquid stream from the separation layer and the gaseous stream output from the cathode. For example, the electrolyzer can use carbon monoxide to produce one or more of the following: ethylene (C 2 H 4 ), ethanol (C 2 H 5 OH), acetic acid (CH3 COOH), propylene (C 3 H 6 ), propanol (C 3 H 8 O). In a specific embodiment, the main target product is ethylene (in the gaseous product stream). In another specific embodiment, the main target products are ethylene (in the gaseous product stream) and ethanol (in the liquid product stream). In another specific embodiment, the main target products are ethylene (in the gaseous product stream) and acetic acid / acetic salt (in the liquid product stream). For example, in reactor 602, the trap is located at the cathode output, which separates the liquid product from the gaseous product so that they can both be collected. In these examples, the oxidation occurring at the anode can be water / hydroxide oxidation, dihydrogen oxidation, or chloride oxidation. It should be noted that in the physical system, the trap is located on the connection to the cathode outlet, such as on the connection to the pipe connected to the cathode, and the trap is drawn as connected to the cathode region only for illustrative purposes.

[0146] Figure 7 The examples shown in are similar to those in Figure 6 in terms of the overall theory of the reactor. However, Figure 7 the method in does not use an exchange membrane to operate, but uses a separation layer to achieve a similar effect. Reactor 700 is similar to reactor 600 in that hydroxide ions move from the cathode to the anode and the generated products can be harvested from the cathode output. Reactor 701 is similar to reactor 601 in that the separation layer includes a liquid electrolyte, and useful products can be harvested in liquid form from the output of the separation layer and in fluid form from the output of the cathode region. Reactor 702 is similar to reactor 602 in that protons migrate through the separation layer and useful products can be harvested from the output of the cathode.

[0147] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, a porous diaphragm can be used as a separating element in the electrolyzer to achieve separation. The diaphragm can be saturated with an electrolyte to allow ions to pass between the cathode and the anode. Figure 8 Reactor 800 is shown, where the separating element is a diaphragm that allows ions to pass from the anode to the cathode and / or ions to pass from the cathode to the anode.

[0148] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the syngas production system is a biomass gasification device for producing low-carbon dihydrogen. Then carbon monoxide is separated from the produced dihydrogen and fed into a carbon monoxide electrolyzer to produce one or more of the following: ethylene (C 2 H 4 ); ethanol (C 2 H 5 OH); acetic acid (CH 3 COOH); propylene (C3 H 6 )), propanol (C 3 H 8 O); or a product containing a carbon-nitrogen bond, such as an amino acid and / or urea and / or an amide-containing organic substance, provided that an N-containing substance (such as an imine, amine, ammonia, nitrogen oxide) is used simultaneously with CO as an input to the cathode stream. In a specific embodiment, the main target product is ethylene (in the gaseous product stream). In a specific embodiment, the main target products are ethylene (in the gaseous product stream) and ethanol (in the liquid product stream). The oxidation occurring at the anode is water / hydroxide oxidation, dihydrogen oxidation, or chloride oxidation.

[0149] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, a carbon monoxide stream is mixed with at least one other chemical such as another gas or liquid compound to produce a higher value-added product at the cathode of the electrolyzer. When carbon monoxide is supplied to the electrolyzer, the carbon monoxide stream can be mixed with such additive chemicals. In one such embodiment, an imine, amine, nitrogen oxide, or ammonia is added to react with carbon monoxide or an intermediate formed during its reduction to form an amide bond or a nitrogen-rich organic compound, such as an amino acid. In another embodiment, an aromatic or fatty acid / aldehyde / alcohol is added to react with carbon monoxide or an intermediate formed during its reduction to form a hydrocarbon, alcohol, or organic acid. In another embodiment, an alkene or hydrocarbon is added to react with carbon monoxide or an intermediate formed during its reduction to form a hydrocarbon, alcohol, or organic acid. These reactions can be combined with any of the reactors described above. For example, the oxidation occurring at the anode can be water oxidation, hydroxide oxidation, dihydrogen oxidation, or halide oxidation.

[0150] Although this specification has been described in detail with respect to specific embodiments of the invention, it should be understood that those skilled in the art, upon understanding the foregoing, can readily conceive of variations, changes, and equivalents of these embodiments of the invention. The volumes of chemicals disclosed in this disclosure do not mean physically isolated volumes, since a certain volume of dihydrogen can exist in a single physical volume with a certain volume of carbon dioxide in the form of a certain volume of syngas. Although the examples in this disclosure generally relate to the production of dihydrogen, the same methods can be used in other industrial processes where carbon monoxide can be obtained, such as in the steel industry. In addition, although the examples in this disclosure are generally applied to industrial chemical processes, the same methods are also applicable to chemical processing of any scale and scope. Further, although the examples in this disclosure are generally applied to the delivery of carbon monoxide to an electrolyzer, the methods disclosed herein are more broadly applicable to the delivery of any member of the family of oxygenated carbon compounds to an electrolyzer for the purpose of generating useful chemicals therefrom. Without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, those skilled in the art can implement these and other modifications and variations of the invention, the scope of which is more particularly set forth in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for enhancing a hydrogen production line, which comprises: enhancing the production line with an electrolyzer containing an electrolyte, wherein: (i) the production line is a hydrogen production line; (ii) the production line includes a syngas production system; and (iii) the electrolyte of the electrolyzer is a concentrated alkaline solution; after the syngas production system, using a separation system to separate a certain volume of carbon monoxide from the production line; after separating the certain volume of carbon monoxide using the separation system, supplying the certain volume of carbon monoxide to the cathode region of the electrolyzer; and using the certain volume of carbon monoxide and the electrolyzer to generate a certain volume of the generated chemicals; wherein the certain volume of the generated chemicals is at least one of the following: a certain volume of hydrocarbons, a certain volume of organic acids, a certain volume of alcohols, a certain volume of olefins, and a certain volume of nitrogen-rich organic compounds; and wherein, before the certain volume of carbon monoxide is supplied to the cathode region of the electrolyzer, the separation system separates the certain volume of carbon monoxide from carbon dioxide and other impurities.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The raw material for the syngas production system is a certain volume of natural gas.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The syngas production system performs a steam methane reforming process on a certain volume of natural gas to produce a certain volume of syngas; and Carbon monoxide from the certain volume of syngas is not used in the water gas shift reaction.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The syngas production system includes a gasification process; and The raw material for the gasification process is at least one of biomass and waste.

5. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises: Supplying a certain volume of carbon dioxide to be used in the syngas production system.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein: The certain volume of carbon dioxide is obtained from a water gas shift reaction performed on a second volume of carbon monoxide from the syngas production system.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein using the certain volume of carbon monoxide and the electrolyzer to generate comprises: Supplying the certain volume of carbon monoxide to the cathode region of the electrolyzer as a cathode input fluid; and Supplying a certain volume of electrolyte to the anode region of the electrolyzer as an anode input fluid.

8. The method according to claim 7, which further comprises: Supplying a certain volume of oxygen generated by the electrolyzer from the anode output to the syngas production system; and wherein the syngas production system performs one of an oxidation process and a partial oxidation process.

9. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises: Providing a certain volume of dihydrogen; and wherein generating the certain volume of the generated chemicals includes: Supplying the certain volume of carbon monoxide to the cathode region of the electrolyzer as a cathode input fluid; and Supplying the certain volume of dihydrogen to the anode region of the electrolyzer as an anode input fluid.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein: the certain volume of dihydrogen includes parasitic dihydrogen output from the cathode region; and the parasitic dihydrogen output is recycled from the cathode output of the electrolyzer to the anode input of the electrolyzer.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein separating the certain volume of carbon monoxide comprises: (i) supplying a certain volume of syngas from the syngas production system to a separation system; and (ii) using the separation system to separate the certain volume of dihydrogen and the certain volume of carbon monoxide from the certain volume of syngas.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: supplying a certain volume of water to the anode region of the electrolyzer as anode input fluid; and wherein the cathode region has a copper-based catalyst.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein: the electrolyzer includes at least one separating element selected from the following: an ion-conducting polymer separator, a non-ion-conducting polymer separator, a diaphragm, a ceramic material-containing separator, an uncharged separator support, and a hybrid ceramic-organic compound separator.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein: the certain volume of the generated chemicals includes a certain volume of gaseous hydrocarbons and a certain volume of liquid alcohols.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein: the certain volume of the generated chemicals includes a certain volume of gaseous hydrocarbons and a certain volume of organic acids.

16. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: mixing the certain volume of carbon monoxide with a certain volume of at least one additive chemical; and wherein when the certain volume of carbon monoxide is supplied to the electrolyzer, the certain volume of carbon monoxide has been mixed with the certain volume of at least one additive chemical.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein: the certain volume of at least one additive chemical includes water.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein: the certain volume of the additive chemical is one of imine, amine, nitrogen oxide, and ammonia; and the certain volume of the generated chemicals is a certain volume of amino acids.

19. A method for enhancing a hydrogen production line, which comprises: enhancing the production line with an electrolyzer containing an electrolyte, wherein: (i) the production line is a hydrogen production line; (ii) the production line includes a reforming process; and (iii) the electrolyte of the electrolyzer is a concentrated alkaline solution; supplying a certain volume of carbon dioxide and a certain volume of natural gas to the reforming process; after the reforming process, using a separation system to separate a certain volume of carbon monoxide from the production line; after separating the certain volume of carbon monoxide using the separation system, supplying the certain volume of carbon monoxide to the cathode region of the electrolyzer; and using the certain volume of carbon monoxide and the electrolyzer to generate a certain volume of the generated chemicals; and wherein: (i) the reforming process consumes the certain volume of carbon dioxide; and (ii) the separation system separates the certain volume of carbon monoxide from carbon dioxide and other impurities before the certain volume of carbon monoxide is supplied to the cathode region of the electrolyzer.

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