Researchers at Zhengzhou University and the Aluminum Corporation of China — Chinalco — have developed a CO₂ utilization process that converts aluminum smelter exhaust CO₂ into single-layer graphene through a novel electrochemical reduction method. The process uses molten salt electrolysis to reduce CO₂ directly to graphene at 750°C

 

China is capturing CO₂ from its aluminum smelters and converting it into graphene — creating a high-value material from industrial emissions that previously went straight to atmosphere.

China's aluminum production — 40 million tonnes annually, over half the world's total — is one of the most electricity and carbon-intensive industrial processes. The electrolytic reduction of alumina to aluminum releases CO₂ from the carbon anodes used in the Hall-Héroult process — approximately 1.5 tonnes of CO₂ per tonne of aluminum, entirely unavoidable with current technology.

Researchers at Zhengzhou University and the Aluminum Corporation of China — Chinalco — have developed a CO₂ utilization process that converts aluminum smelter exhaust CO₂ into single-layer graphene through a novel electrochemical reduction method. The process uses molten salt electrolysis to reduce CO₂ directly to graphene at 750°C — converting a waste stream into one of the world's most valuable industrial materials.

Graphene — the single-atom-thick carbon material with extraordinary electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties — currently sells for $50-200 per gram for high-quality material. Converting aluminum smelter CO₂ to graphene at a fraction of that production cost creates a carbon capture process that is economically self-funding from graphene sales revenue.

A pilot installation at Chinalco's Zhengzhou smelter processes 500 tonnes of CO₂ annually — producing 140 kilograms of high-quality graphene monthly for sale to electronics, battery, and composite material manufacturers.

Chinalco — Zhengzhou University — 2024

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