European Projects Developing Chemical Production from Carbon Dioxide Using Renewable Energy

The European Union is funding several projects on developing chemical products using carbon dioxide as a raw material and renewable energy to drive the production.  Many of the projects use electrolysis to produce hydrogen and then use the hydrogen to react, electronically, with carbon dioxide.

Here are brief synopses of eight such projects:

1.                  VoltaChem.   This project aims to better use renewable energy in the production of heat, hydrogen, and chemicals.  The project has short, medium, and long-term objectives reaching beyond 2030.  The project (program) focuses on both technology and system/business objectives.  Chick here for more details.

2.                  E-Refinery TU Delft.  The TU (Technical University) Delft project focuses on electrochemical conversions into fuels and chemical building blocks using sustainable electricity.  Research is supported at both the molecular and system integration levels. Several collaborators are involved.  Click here for more details.

3.                  Sunrise.  A Leiden University-lead project aims to replace fossil fuels use in industry by producing fuels and other chemicals from carbon dioxide, oxygen, nitrogen, and water using solar energy.  Several universities and companies participate.  Click here for more details.

4.                  CO2EXIDE.   A research effort is directed at producing ethylene oxide by electrochemical synthesis from water and carbon dioxide using renewable energies.  Several universities and companies have been involved.  Click here for more details.

5.                  Carbon2Chem.    Sixteen organizations have been involved in this project to convert steel production-emitted carbon dioxide (and other gases) into base chemicals.  Energy for the conversion comes from renewable sources.  Click here for more details.

6.                  H2Future.   This is another project for the conversion of carbon dioxide emissions from steel making into base chemicals.  A large-scale proton exchange membrane (PEM) system is being tested at an Austrian steel plant to archive the conversion.  Click here for more details.

7.                  Rheticus.   The German government is funding this project which is developing the use of microbes to produce alcohols from hydrogen and carbon monoxide from carbon dioxide and water.  Click here for more details.

8.                  DYNAKAT.   This project focuses on developing better catalysts for producing energy-carrying compounds such a methane, ammonia, and alcohols from hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and water.  Click here for more details.

Most, if not all, of the projects identified above are funded by the European Union (EU).  The EU greatly supports renewable energy and these projects support the EU hopes that a major payoff from its renewable energy developments will be the energy’s use in developing chemicals from carbon dioxide and water rather than relying on fossil fuels for energy and chemicals.   Such success would be a major accomplishment with great economic and environmental benefits, e.g., much less carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere.