Design and Application of Joule Heating Processes for Decarbonized Chemical and Advanced Material Synthesis

Atmospheric CO2 concentrations keep increasing at intensifying rates due to rising energy and material demands. The chemical production industry is a large energy consumer, responsible for up to 935 Mt of CO2 emissions per year, and decarbonization is its major goal moving forward. One of the primary sources of energy consumption and CO2 emissions in the chemical sector is associated with the production and use of heat for material synthesis, which conventionally was generated through the combustion of fossil fuels. To address this grand challenge, Joule heating has emerged as an alternative heating method that greatly increases process efficiency, reducing both energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. In this Review, we discuss the key concepts that govern these Joule heating processes including material selection and reactor design, as well as the current state-of-the-art in the literature for employing these processes to synthesize commodity chemicals along with advanced materials such as graphene, metal species, and metal carbides. Finally, we provide a perspective on future research avenues within this field, which can facilitate the widespread adoption of Joule heating for decarbonizing industrial processes.