Carbon monoxide electroreduction as an emerging platform for carbon utilization

The electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide to value-added chemical products has been heavily explored as a promising strategy for carbon utilization. However, the direct synthesis of multi-carbon (C₂₊) products suffers from undesired side reactions and relatively low selectivity. Electrochemically converting CO₂ to single-carbon products is much more effective and being commercially deployed. Recent studies have shown that CO can be electrochemically transformed further to C₂₊ at high reaction rates, high C₂₊ selectivity and inherently improved electrolyte stability, raising the prospect of a two-step pathway to transform CO₂. In this Perspective, the progress towards high-rate CO conversion is shown alongside mechanistic insights and device designs that can improve performance even further. A techno-economic analysis of the two-step conversion process and cradle-to-gate lifecycle assessment shows the economic feasibility and improved environmental impact of a high-volume commercial process generating acetic acid and ethylene compared to the current state of the art.