The chemical sector is a key {industry} in in the present day’s world, as chemical substances are current in additional than 90% of manufactured items, together with important merchandise like disinfectants and medical gadgets. Nonetheless, the manufacturing of chemical substances and derived supplies depends on large use of fossil carbon. Such feedstock are wanted to offer vitality (electrical energy and warmth) and the carbon molecules that represent most merchandise (e.g. plastics).
Lara Tottolo is Communication and Dissemination Officer for CO2SMOS and VIVALDI.
Pablo Morales Moya is Communication and Dissemination Officer for CATCO2NVERS.
In accordance with the worldwide scientific group, uncontrolled carbon are inflicting unequivocal adjustments in our world local weather and the degradation of life on Earth. Whereas all industries must undertake options to drastically cut back emissions in an effort to attain local weather targets, the chemical sector is among the most promising and open to innovation.
Bio-based industries, a department of the chemical sector, use natural waste and organic residues for the manufacturing of meals and animal feed, bio-based merchandise and bioenergy. By utilizing enzymes and fermentation processes as a substitute of conventional chemical synthesis, bio-based industries enhance course of effectivity and reduce vitality and water consumption. Nonetheless, these processes nonetheless produce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of biogenic nature. Now seen as a waste product and emitted into the ambiance, such emissions can turn into a valuable useful resource and assist the {industry}’s transition in direction of a round economic system.
The initiatives CO2SMOS, VIVALDI and CATCO2NVERS collaborate to handle the environmental problem of lowering CO2 emissions of bio-based industries by growing progressive Carbon Seize and Utilisation (CCU) options to transform biogenic CO2 into high-added-value chemical substances.
Carbon Seize and Utilisation (CCU) is a various set of applied sciences that enable for the seize and use of CO2 as a feedstock for the manufacturing of important carbon-containing merchandise like chemical substances, but in addition fuels and constructing supplies. CCU applied sciences can enable numerous processes to succeed in web zero and even adverse CO2 emissions, and are particularly helpful for carbon-intensive sectors the place no or only a few options exist to scale back emissions.
On this context, the three initiatives have been funded with a complete of €20 Million by the European Analysis and Improvement Programme Horizon 2020 to fill the hole of these CCU pathways which might be nonetheless in labs, prototype, or pilot phases. By exploring totally different options and enterprise instances, CO2SMOS, VIVALDI and CATCO2NVERS collect the experience of worldwide companions representing your complete worth chain to rework the biorefineries into a brand new CO2-based industrial sector, contributing to largely lower the carbon footprint of the {industry} and increase the European Union economic system.
The dedication to collaborate and the holistic strategy of three consortiums place these initiatives as a promising pathway in direction of a extra sustainable and carbon-efficient industrial future.
CO2SMOS: an built-in toolbox of 5 applied sciences for bio-based industries
The CO2SMOS challenge develops options to rework the carbon emissions generated from bioprocesses and renewable sources (inexperienced hydrogen and biomass) into totally different sustainable bioproducts: sturdy polymers, renewable biochemicals, and biodegradable supplies. With these compounds, it’s attainable to provide greener end-products resembling packaging, coatings and textiles.
CO2SMOS built-in hybrid resolution combines progressive biotechnological and intensified electrochemical/catalytic conversion processes. The demonstration of the technical, financial and environmental sustainability of the totally different CO2SMOS applied sciences will enable the design of an built-in platform of CO2 conversion processes for this {industry} sector.
VIVALDI: a completely round pathway for the chemical sector
Specializing in 4 key bio-industry sectors (Pulp & Paper, Meals & Drinks, Bioethanol and Biochemicals), the VIVALDI challenge transforms actual off-gases into 4 natural acids: lactic acid, succinic acid, itaconic acid and 3-hydroxypropionic acid. These high-value chemical substances can re-enter the vegetation’ manufacturing course of to reinforce their sustainability, or open new enterprise alternatives as constructing blocks for novel biomaterials.
In VIVALDI, the building-blocks and vitamins required for yeast-based bioproduction of those added-value natural acids are obtained from gaseous and liquid waste. The feedstocks (methanol and formic acid) are produced by way of the electrochemical discount of CO2 that has been captured from industrial flue gases. The vitamins are recovered from the wastewater of the identical or close by industries utilizing bioelectrochemical programs.
CATCO2NVERS: a novel, bottom-up strategy to provide bioproducts
The general concept of CATCO2NVERS is to scale back greenhouse gasses emissions from the Bio Based mostly Industries remodeling waste CO2 from two bio-based industries into 5 added-value chemical substances: glyoxylic acid (GA), lactic acid (LA), furan dicarboxylic methyl ester (FDME), cyclic carbonated fatty acid methyl esters (CCFAMEs) and bio methanol, with software within the chemical, cosmetics and plastic {industry} the challenge will course of bio-based merchandise changing fossil materials with a zero or adverse greenhouse gasoline emissions.
CATCO2NVERS is targeted on lowering industrial CO2 emissions whereas exploring new procedures to provide bioproducts. With this purpose, a bottom-up strategy is utilized by the design and improvement of progressive catalytic applied sciences for the valorisation of CO2 within the fabrication of various biobased merchandise, together with monomers for bioplastics manufacturing, utilizing CO2 streams from biorefineries.
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The CO2SMOS, VIVALDI and CATCO2NVERS initiatives have acquired funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 analysis and innovation programme below grant agreements No. 101000790, 101000441 and 101000580.
References
Kähler, F. and Carus, M. et al. 2022: CO2 Discount Potential of the Chemical Business Via CCU. Editor: Renewable Carbon Initiative (RCI), April 2022.
Sapart, C. and Arning, Okay. et al. 2022: Local weather Change Mitigation: The contribution of Carbon Seize and Utilisation (CCU), October 2022.