Electrochemically-Mediated Approaches for the Capture, Conversion, and Extraction of Environmentally Relevant Species

Dear Colleagues,

Electrochemical approaches have emerged as transformative technologies for addressing critical environmental and resource challenges in the context of climate change and the circular economy. The escalating atmospheric CO₂ concentrations and the growing volume of industrial waste streams necessitate innovative solutions that can simultaneously mitigate carbon emissions and recover valuable resources. In this context, electrochemical technologies offer a unified platform capable of addressing both challenges by utilizing electrical energy as a driving force for selective separation, conversion, and resource recovery. 

Electrochemical CO₂ capture and concentration (eCCC) has recently been garnering increasing attention as a promising alternative to conventional thermal-based methods for direct air capture and point-source CO₂ removal. Unlike traditional amine scrubbing processes, which require substantial thermal energy for solvent regeneration, eCCC operates under relatively mild conditions and offers several distinct advantages, including lower energy consumption and greater flexibility, compactness, and modularity. These characteristics make eCCC particularly suitable for integration with intermittent renewable energy sources, enabling a pathway toward sustainable carbon management. 

Beyond CO₂ capture, electrochemical approaches can be extended to facilitate the comprehensive valorization of industrial waste streams and side products. Electrochemical CO₂ conversion and utilization technologies enable the direct transformation of captured CO₂ into value-added chemicals, fuels, and materials, offering an integrated solution for circular carbon management. Electrochemical capture of other acidic gases such as SO₂, NOₓ, and H₂S from industrial and agricultural sources addresses critical environmental challenges. Furthermore, electrochemical extraction and resource recovery provide sustainable pathways for obtaining critical minerals, metals, and nutrients from diverse waste sources, including brines, seawater, geothermal fluids, industrial wastewater, and solid waste streams such as mining tailings, coal fly ash, and end-of-life products. Notably, the resource recovery aspect offers indirect but significant CO₂ emission reductions by displacing energy-intensive conventional extraction and mining operations, thereby reducing the carbon footprint associated with primary resource production and contributing to the circular economy. 

The successful implementation of these integrated electrochemical technologies relies heavily on advances in electrochemical system design and materials. This encompasses the development of redox-active molecules and mediators, high-performance ion exchange membranes, selective electrocatalysts, and optimized cell architectures capable of achieving high efficiency, selectivity, and durability. Equally important are process engineering and system analysis, which encompass process modeling and simulation, techno-economic analysis (TEA), life cycle assessment (LCA), energy efficiency evaluation, and system integration with renewable energy sources and are essential for translating laboratory-scale innovations into commercially viable, scalable solutions. 

This Special Issue aims to explore the latest advancements in electrochemical technologies for gas capture, separation, conversion, and extraction, aiming to offer a comprehensive platform for discussions of the fundamental mechanisms, novel materials, innovative system designs, process engineering strategies, and techno-economic assessments related to this field. We welcome contributions that encompass theoretical understanding, experimental validation, and practical applications across the following topics:

• Electrochemical CO₂ capture and concentration;
• Electrochemical CO₂ conversion and utilization;
• Electrochemical capture of other acidic gases (SO₂, NO_X, H₂S, etc.);
• Electrochemical extraction and resource recovery;
• Resource recovery from brines, seawater, and wastewater;
• Electrochemical system design and materials;
• Process engineering and system analysis.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Kyumin Jang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Electrochem is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• electrochemical CO₂ capture and concentration (eCCC)
• CO₂ conversion and utilization
• redox-active carriers
• pH-swing processes
• electrochemically mediated amine regeneration (EMAR)
• acidic gas capture and purification
• electrochemical extraction
• resource recovery
• mineral extraction
• metal recovery from seawater, wastewater and waste
• ion exchange membranes
• electrocatalysts