Prize winner Dr. Pellumbi: Revolution in CO2 electrolysis!

Prize winner Dr. Pellumbi: Revolution in CO2 electrolysis!

Dr. Kevinjeorjios Pellumbi was awarded the doctoral award from the Chemistry & Energy Section of the Society of German Chemists (GDCh) on April 9, 2025. The award was given to him for his dissertation entitled “Creating Holistic Pathways for the CO2 Electroreduction and Electrochemical Hydrogenations”. Unfortunately, Pellumbi was unable to attend the award ceremony in Duisburg, so Prof. Dr. Ulf-Peter Apfel, his doctoral supervisor, accepted the award on his behalf. Apfel is head of the Inorganic Chemistry I research group and the Electrosynthesis department at the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT at the Ruhr University.

In his scientific work, Pellumbi has contributed valuable insights into the energy transition, which justified the award. Dr. In his speech, Nils Bottke from BASF SE praised the relevance of Pellumbi's work aimed at electrocatalytic technologies. These technologies are crucial for the sustainable production of chemicals and fuels. Pellumbi highlights the great potential of CO2 electrolysis and electrochemical hydrogenation reactions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and electrify the chemical industry.

Innovative approaches to CO2 reduction

However, the industrial implementation of these technologies is still in its early stages. Current challenges include slow and inefficient development routes and the lack of robust and cost-effective catalysts. Pellumbi is studying how CO2 electrolysis and electrochemical hydrogenation reactions can be optimized for industrial applications. In this context, he has filed several patents, including for a novel catalyst layer and a gas diffusion layer.

A central aspect of the electrochemical reduction of CO2 is the conversion of carbon dioxide into usable chemical products, which is of great importance in view of climate change. The goal is to specifically reduce CO2 in the atmosphere and make it usable for the production of chemical products. Work on this topic shows a clear trend towards optimizing existing electrolytic systems instead of developing new catalysts and electrodes.

Technological developments and challenges

An encouraging example is the zero-gap electrolyzer, which is being investigated by Fraunhofer UMSICHT, the Ruhr University Bochum and the RWTH Aachen. This electrolyzer uses a solid-state electrolyte and has advantages such as high energy efficiency and good scalability. What is particularly important is that this system does not require a liquid catholyte.

Significant progress has been made by specifically minimizing ohmic resistance and improving stability and Faraday efficiency. Stability of up to 10 hours at 3 V and 300 mA cm-2 could be achieved, which corresponds to an improvement by a factor of three. A published study on zero-gap electrolysis also increased the Faraday efficiency for CO from 14% to over 60%.

However, research has also shown that there are critical parameters such as water management that can influence performance. Too much water supply can lead to flooding, while too low anion exchange membrane performance can reduce the performance. These findings are crucial for the further development of the technology and for optimizing the electrolysis processes.

In summary, it can be said that the work of Dr. Pellumbi and the advances in the field of CO2 electrolysis are not only important for science, but also represent an important step towards a sustainable chemical industry. The synergies between academic research and industrial application are becoming increasingly important.