Semester of Graduation

Summer 2026

Degree

Master of Science in Chemical Engineering (MSChE)

Department

Chemical Engineering

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

This study presents a techno-economic analysis (TEA) and life cycle assessment (LCA) of the electrocatalytic reduction of CO₂ to ethanol, a multi-carbon (C2) product with significant market value. Prior TEA studies have relied on simplified lump-sum separation cost estimates, and prior LCA studies have rarely examined the combined effect of CO₂ source and electricity supply on carbon intensity gaps that this work addresses through process-simulation-grounded analysis. An Aspen Plus process simulation was developed for an anion-exchange membrane (AEM) electrolyzer system coupled with an extractive distillation separation train using ethylene glycol as the entrainer, achieving 99.9 wt.% ethanol purity from a dilute feed of approximately 5 wt.% ethanol. The base-case production cost was determined to be $1.94 kg−1 of ethanol, with electricity accounting for 63% of total operating expenditure (OPEX). Sensitivity analysis via tornado diagram identified electricity price, Faradaic efficiency (FE), and cell voltage as the dominant cost drivers. A commercialization roadmap shows that improving FE from 60% to 90%, reducing cell voltage to 2.5 V, lowering electricity prices to $0.01 kWh−1, and increasing current density to 1000 mA/cm² could reduce the levelized cost to $0.40 kg−1. Life cycle assessment reveals that the CO₂ source and electricity source critically determine the carbon intensity (CI) of electrocatalytic ethanol. Under renewable electricity, CI values approach or surpass conventional bioethanol benchmarks, with fermentation-derived CO₂ offering the most favorable combined cost and carbon profile. The findings indicate that electrocatalytic CO₂-to-ethanol is not yet commercially competitive under current conditions but presents a viable pathway to sustainable chemical production under optimistic future scenarios.

Date

5-18-2026

Committee Chair

Flake, John C.

LSU Acknowledgement

1

LSU Accessibility Acknowledgment

1

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