Ionic liquids as electrolytes in aluminum electrolysis

Junshi Wu; Peng Xie; Wenbin Hao; Dong Lu; Ye Qi; Yongli Mi

doi:10.3389/fchem.2022.1014893

Ionic liquids as electrolytes in aluminum electrolysis

Front Chem. 2022 Nov 3:10:1014893. doi: 10.3389/fchem.2022.1014893. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Junshi Wu¹, Peng Xie^{1

2}, Wenbin Hao³, Dong Lu¹, Ye Qi^{1

4}, Yongli Mi^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Engineering Materials and Reliability, HKUST Fok Ying Tung Research Institute, Guangzhou, China.
² Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China.
³ Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.
⁴ Department of Innovation, Policy and Entrepreneurship Thrust, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, China.

Abstract

Herein, the characteristics, research progress, and application prospects of ionic liquid-based electrolytic aluminum deposition are reviewed and analyzed in comparison with the Hall-Héroult method. The reaction conditions and production procedures of this material are discussed alongside the problems ionic liquids face in the electrolytic aluminum industry. Ionic liquid-based electrolytic aluminum deposition realizes the electrolytic aluminum reaction at low temperatures, achieving a reaction energy consumption close to the theoretical minimum value. The reaction also avoids harmful CO₂ or HF emissions, demonstrating a green and environmental-friendly approach to the production of electrolytic aluminum. In the future, in-depth work on the implementation of ionic liquid electrolytes should be carried out, establishing the necessary technical criteria and laying the foundation for the integration of this approach.

Keywords: aluminum electrolysis; electrolytes; energy saving and emission reduction; environmentally friendly; ionic liquids.

Publication types

Review