Recycling of hydrogen tolerant La_0.6Ca_0.4Co_0.2Fe_0.8O_3–d oxygen transport membranes with integrated life cycle assessment for plasma-assisted CO₂-conversion

authored by

Aasir Rashid, Hyunjung Lim, Daniel Plaz, Giamper Escobar Cano, Marc Bresser, Katharina Sophia Wiegers, Vanessa Zeller, Magdalena Ola Cichocka, Moritz Thiem, Sungho Baek, Guoxing Chen, Ute Kolb, Armin Feldhoff, Andreas Schulz, Anke Weidenkaff, Marc Widenmeyer

Abstract

In this study, a recycling approach was adapted for the hydrogen tolerant La_0.6Ca_0.4Co_0.2Fe_0.8O_3–d (LCCF_6428) oxygen transport membranes that have great potential in plasma-assisted CO₂ conversion techniques for producing industrial fuels such as methanol. The major focus was the incorporation of sustainability measures such as integrating life cycle assessment (LCA) into the materials development at an early stage to study and compare the environmental feasibility of the recycled membrane with the primary membrane. The aim was also to ensure reduced resource depletion of critical raw materials such as cobalt and lanthanum by means of recycling. It consisted of microwave-assisted dissolution of the membrane followed by ultrasonic spray synthesis. The recycled membrane exhibited at least 83 % of the oxygen permeability of the primary membrane and maintained hydrogen tolerance up to 600 °C for 25 h which is a remarkable result for LCCF_6428 in terms of potentially enhancing its life span. As per the LCA, recycling did result in lower resource depletion. However, the recycled LCCF had a higher overall environmental impact compared to the primary LCCF, mainly due to increased electricity consumption during recycling. These results accentuate the need for a transition towards more efficient processes accompanied by cleaner and renewable sources of energy and critically indicate integration of LCA into materials development to establish the sustainability profile of materials.

Organisation(s)

Institute of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry

External Organisation(s)

Technische Universität Darmstadt
University of Stuttgart
Fraunhofer Research Institution for Materials Recycling and Resource Strategies (IWKS)

Type

Article

Journal

Sustainable Materials and Technologies

Volume

42

ISSN

2214-9929

Publication date

12.2024

Publication status

Published

Peer reviewed

Yes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment, General Materials Science, Waste Management and Disposal, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy, SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production

Electronic version(s)

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.susmat.2024.e01161 (Access: Open)