A novel clean and effective syngas production system based on partial oxidation of methane assisted solid oxide co-electrolysis process

•A novel syngas production system is proposed by the POM assisted co-electrolysis.•Electric consumption has significantly decreased with the introduction of methane.•Improved efficiency and decreased electrolysis resistance are obtained.

Development of the syngas production from solid oxide H2O/CO2 co-electrolysis is limited by the intensive energy input and low efficiency. Here, we present a new concept to efficiently generate syngas in both sides of the solid oxide electrolyzer by synergistically combining co-electrolysis with partial oxidation of methane (POM). Thermodynamic calculation and electrochemical measurements for the POM assisted solid oxide co-electrolysis processes on the SFM-SDC/LSGM/SFM-SDC cells exhibited an reduced electric input, increased energy conversion efficiency and decreased cathodic co-electrolysis polarization resistance in comparison with the conventional co-electrolysis. This method will be crucial to establish a clean and effective energy conversion system to meet global sustainable energy needs.