Carbon Dioxide seperation into Carbon and Oxygen

[bazzy]

Hi Everyone

Been A while since i have been on this forum.

I have been looking at a new starship simulator game upcoming and that has got me thinking about oxygen reclamation in a space scenario.

in enclosed spaces like on the ISS they use Lithium Hydroxide to capture and remove co2 while using electrolysis to generate more oxygen. Now I understand that power consumption is an issue with thinking about this, however

If you where to capture and separate the C02 from the air then compress it to a liquid under cryogenic temperatures then as a liquid use electrolysis to break it down to Oxygen and carbon monoxide and oxygen then using Cryogenic Distillation separate the Carbon Monoxide from the Oxygen, then compress the Carbon Monoxide to a liquid and perform the same electrolysis process to separate the Carbon from the oxygen, again using Cryogenic Distillation to separate the remaining Carbon Monoxide from the Oxygen for further processing?

I may be completely missing the mark with the science here but could that work? I do realize this would be an extremely energy intensive process but if energy was in abundance could this process work?

[exchemist]

45 minutes ago, bazzy said:

Hi Everyone

Been A while since i have been on this forum.

I have been looking at a new starship simulator game upcoming and that has got me thinking about oxygen reclamation in a space scenario.

in enclosed spaces like on the ISS they use Lithium Hydroxide to capture and remove co2 while using electrolysis to generate more oxygen. Now I understand that power consumption is an issue with thinking about this, however

If you where to capture and separate the C02 from the air then compress it to a liquid under cryogenic temperatures then as a liquid use electrolysis to break it down to Oxygen and carbon monoxide and oxygen then using Cryogenic Distillation separate the Carbon Monoxide from the Oxygen, then compress the Carbon Monoxide to a liquid and perform the same electrolysis process to separate the Carbon from the oxygen, again using Cryogenic Distillation to separate the remaining Carbon Monoxide from the Oxygen for further processing?

I may be completely missing the mark with the science here but could that work? I do realize this would be an extremely energy intensive process but if energy was in abundance could this process work?

While there are electrolytic reduction processes for CO2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrochemical_reduction_of_carbon_dioxide. none of them seem to yield oxygen. 

 

[chenbeier]

1 hour ago, bazzy said:

Hi Everyone

Been A while since i have been on this forum.

I have been looking at a new starship simulator game upcoming and that has got me thinking about oxygen reclamation in a space scenario.

in enclosed spaces like on the ISS they use Lithium Hydroxide to capture and remove co2 while using electrolysis to generate more oxygen. Now I understand that power consumption is an issue with thinking about this, however

If you where to capture and separate the C02 from the air then compress it to a liquid under cryogenic temperatures then as a liquid use electrolysis to break it down to Oxygen and carbon monoxide and oxygen then using Cryogenic Distillation separate the Carbon Monoxide from the Oxygen, then compress the Carbon Monoxide to a liquid and perform the same electrolysis process to separate the Carbon from the oxygen, again using Cryogenic Distillation to separate the remaining Carbon Monoxide from the Oxygen for further processing?

I may be completely missing the mark with the science here but could that work? I do realize this would be an extremely energy intensive process but if energy was in abundance could this process work?

I think he want to electrolyze the liquid carbondioxide  itself. But this is not working because it is not conductive.

[bazzy]

How do you make it conductive?

[chenbeier]

Only what exchemist already wrote

The CO2 is converted to other compounds, which are conductive.

[exchemist]

16 minutes ago, bazzy said:

How do you make it conductive?

There is normally a reaction involving a metal catalyst that can adsorb the molecule and make it easier to split into ions, which is what you would need for electrolysis. 

[chenbeier]

But I don't think it's possible  to get

CO2 => C + O2 by electrolysis. Also with metal catalysts.

[exchemist]

6 hours ago, chenbeier said:

But I don't think it's possible  to get

CO2 => C + O2 by electrolysis. Also with metal catalysts.

Agreed. I was referring to electrolysis processes involving CO2 such as those in the Wiki article, not to direct splitting into C and O.

[Leojames26]

Hey, this is a really cool idea! I love how you’re thinking about ways to reclaim oxygen in space—it’s definitely an important challenge.

So, what you’re suggesting—breaking down CO2 into carbon and oxygen—sounds interesting. The basic idea is solid, but yeah, you’re right that it would take a ton of energy to pull off. Compressing CO2 into a liquid, cooling it down, and then splitting it into carbon and oxygen would be pretty intense, especially in space where energy is super limited.

The part about separating the CO2 into carbon and oxygen sounds awesome, but it’s really tough to do with current technology. It takes a lot of effort to break those molecules apart, and right now, we don’t have a super efficient way to do it.

But honestly, it’s awesome that you’re thinking about this. Who knows? With the way technology keeps advancing, ideas like yours could totally inspire new solutions. Keep brainstorming—space exploration needs all the creative ideas it can get!

[TheVat]

 

8 hours ago, Leojames26 said:

It takes a lot of effort to break those molecules apart, and right now, we don’t have a super efficient way to do it.

GM algae, perhaps, when ships are near a star.  With an unusually high density of chloroplasts.  Maybe have exterior panels which are packed with chloroplasts, with a capillary network circulating water and CO2 in, and O2 and carbos out.  

 

 

[Leojames26]

18 hours ago, TheVat said:

 

GM algae, perhaps, when ships are near a star.  With an unusually high density of chloroplasts.  Maybe have exterior panels which are packed with chloroplasts, with a capillary network circulating water and CO2 in, and O2 and carbos out.  

 

 

That’s an awesome idea! Using GM algae to harness photosynthesis could really work, especially near a star. The concept of turning the ship’s exterior into something like a giant leaf is super clever. It’s a natural, self-sustaining system that could definitely complement other life support systems. Keep those creative ideas coming!