Abstract:
China is the world’s largest CO
2 emitter and coal consumer, and its coal dominated energy structure is difficult to be changed in the short term. In the context of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, the capture and storage or conversion of carbon dioxide into renewable fuels and chemicals can reduce dependence on fossil fuels and at the same time reduce CO
2 emissions, providing key technical support for the green transition of coal-fired power plants and energy chemicals. Electrocatalysis and microbial conversion are important ways to produce renewable fuels and chemicals from carbon dioxide. The reaction rate of electrocatalytic reduction of CO
2 is high, but the products are mostly limited to C
1 and C
2 products. Microbial CO
2 fixation has the advantages of high selectivity and variety of products. However, the low electron transfer and energy supply lead to a long reaction period in the microbial CO
2 fixation. Integration of electrocatalysis and microbial conversion can play their advantages to efficiently produce the value-added multi-carbon products. In this paper, firstly, the reaction principles, typical products of electrocatalysis and microbial CO
2 fixation under a single technical route were introduced respectively. The catalyst and reactor of electrocatalytic CO
2 reduction were discussed, and the microbial species and biological metabolic pathways of microbial fixation of CO
2 were summarized. Secondly, two methods of the integration of electrocatalysis and microbial conversion was reviewed, and the system structure, working principle, electrode materials and value-added products were analyzed. Finally, the technology readiness level of different coupling methods was compared, and the future prospects were highlighted from four aspects: the catalysts for electrocatalytic CO
2 reduction, the engineered microbial strains, the design and integration of coupling systems and the linkage between academic research and industry.