Prospective life cycle assessment of CO₂ conversion by photocatalytic reaction

CO₂ conversion is gradually seen as a better way for society to effectively use carbon sources and avoid climate crisis associated with fossil CO₂ emissions. And the decision to deploy CO₂ technology scale should be relied on its environmental impact. In this work, life cycle assessment model evaluates the environmental performance of CO₂ conversion by photocatalytic reaction process with two different catalysts (NiAl-LDH and Co-ZIF-9). Six impact categories considered in this analysis, including climate change, acidification potential, depletion of abiotic resources, eutrophication potential, ozone layer depletion potential, and photochemical oxidation potential. Results indicated that CO₂ conversion with Co-ZIF-9 photocatalyst has a better environmental impact than the NiAl-LDH photocatalyst route. Moreover, the Co-ZIF-9 catalyst scenario also has a lower total environmental burden than the conventional CO production route. Sensitivity analysis shows that recycle performance of the catalyst is highly sensitive to the production process in two scenarios. This study could provide a framework for robust decisions in CO₂ conversion by photocatalytic reaction, which is useful for policymakers to decide the feasibility of industrialization.