Louisiana and Delaware researchers score $4M NSF grant for electrolyzers

In Louisiana, each day, many of the products we use, whether we know it or not, are produced from natural gas or crude oil using carbon- and energy-intensive processes. But what if we could make those same products using CO2, thereby drastically reducing or even eliminating our carbon footprint?

That is the ultimate goal of a project being conducted by researchers from Louisiana State University and the University of Delaware, thanks to a four-year, $4 million grant from the National Science Foundation Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, or NSF EPSCOR, program.

The immediate objective for the group is to make electrolyzers that convert CO2 into multi-carbon products more durable and efficient. A common example of an electrolyzer is one that generates hydrogen and oxygen from the electrolysis of water. This project seeks to use electricity from renewables to drive a sort of “reverse combustion reaction.”

In addition to the researchers, more than 70 undergraduate and graduate students will be directly engaged with the work; and representatives from leading chemical manufacturers Shell, Dow, and ExxonMobil have already agreed to be involved in some capacity. Furthermore, outreach activities are planned to provide experiences related to STEM education and careers for thousands of K-12 students in Louisiana and Delaware.