Brussels, 8 June 2026 – New results clarify that low-temperature CO2-H2O co-electrolysis in an anion exchange membrane (AEM) cell can reliably convert around 70% of the electrical current into carbon-based products, while maintaining stable operation in long-duration testing (>800 hours at 300mA/cm2). This is a key step toward making CO2 electrolysis more industrially relevant, because it couples conversion performance with durability under practical operating conditions.
What was demonstrated
The ECO2Fuel work focuses on membrane-electrode assemblies (MEAs), the key part of an electrolyser where the membrane and electrodes are assembled. The selected configuration combines CuOx at the cathode (where CO2 is reduced) and NiFe-based catalyst at the anode (supporting oxygen evolution), together with an AEM that supports ion transport and helps limit unwanted cross-over.
Across screening and validation tests, the system reached 69-70% faradaic efficiency to carbonaceous products (with total FE close to 100% when including hydrogen), showing that the measured current is effectively accounted for in reaction products rather than losses. In performance terms, best results aligned closely with the project’s operating target, with reported operation around 2.1-2.25 V at 0.3 A/cm2 (depending on test conditions and duration).
Why this matters beyond the lab
To scale CO2 electrolysis, it’s crucial to keep selectivity, voltage and stability consistent when conditions become more demanding. In durability testing, the ECO2Fuel team implemented operational strategies to mitigate known issues such as carbonisation/mass transfer effects, and the results show the system’s ability to continue operating through cycles with moderate degradation.
The results also clarify a key practical point for e-fuels: gas products were dominant over liquids in the observed outlet composition, which supports the direction of integrated pathways when targeting drop-in liquid fuels. The outcomes provide concrete guidance for further optimisation of CO2 electrolyser at larger scale, including continued work on mass transport, membrane stability and cell hardware elements such as gaskets as the technology progresses toward larger active areas and stack-level validation.
For ECO2Fuel, these results are strategically important as they reduce technical risk in the transition from single-cell testing to stack configurations (including the 50 kW system under development), while strengthening the ECO2Fuel solution contribution to Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) by improving the reliability and efficiency of CO₂ recycling pathways.
About ECO2Fuel
ECO2Fuel is an EU project under Horizon2020 (Green Deal). It aims to design, manufacture, operate, and validate the worldwide first low-temperature 1MW direct, electrochemical CO2 conversion system to produce economic and sustainable e-fuels and chemicals.
Partners
This ambitious project brings together a coalition of leading businesses and research institutions, fostering a cross-industry innovation network to achieve substantial technological and environmental breakthroughs: Deutsches Zentrum für Luft-und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR), RWE, Bekaert, De Nora, HyGear, ARIEMA, Energía y Medioambiente S.L., Monolithos Ltd., HYDROLITE, Think11, META Group, CENTRO RICERCHE FIAT SCPA, DTU – Technical University of Denmark, Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), and VITO.
Keywords
- CO2 electrolysis
- E-fuels
- Anion exchange membrane (AEM)
- Membrane-electrode assembly (MEA)
- Co-electrolysis (CO2-H2O)
- Faradaic efficiency
- Durability testing
- Carbon capture utilisation (CCU)
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Press contacts
Elizaveta Kuzmina
META Group
Maria Marin Arconada
META Group