CO2 FREE ELECTROCHEMICAL PROCESS FOR PRODUCTION OF LIGHT METALS USING IONIC LIQUIDS AS ELECTROLYTES

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a major by-product of light metals production, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. This study aims to develop a novel electrochemical process for producing light metals, utilizing ionic liquid electrolytes to reduce CO2 emissions and energy consumption. A series of experiments were conducted in which two types of anode materials, graphite and extruded carbon, were tested for their performance in electrolysis. The results indicated both anode materials maintained stability with negligible weight loss, though extruded carbon demonstrated superior performance in current density and current efficiency. Furthermore, the energy consumption for aluminum production was calculated to be less than 10 kWh/kg at current densities reaching up to 300 A/m². These findings suggest that the ionic liquid-based process not only minimizes CO2 emissions, thus addressing environmental concerns, but also significantly enhances the energy efficiency of light metal production compared to traditional high-temperature methods.