A new innovation project will demonstrate large-scale conversion of industrial carbon emissions into value added chemicals and materials.
The project, conducted by a consortium of 20 leading industrial and research partners from 11 countries, aims to demonstrate a new path to create value from industrial CO2 emissions while improving the sustainability of the chemical industry in Europe. The European Commission funds PyroCO2 with 40 million euros in support of the European Green Deal, the plan to make the EU’s economy sustainable and climate neutral by 2050.
“We are excited to finally start our ambitious work that aims to be a gamechanger for European carbon-intensive industries. These will be able to create valuable products from their CO2 emissions, meeting the need for a lower carbon footprint while maintaining their competitiveness and being a part of the solution for the climate.” says Senior Research Scientist Alexander Wentzel at SINTEF, the independent Norwegian research institute that coordinates the project.
The scope of PyroCO2 is to establish and demonstrate an innovative platform for CCU that turns industrial CO2 into chemical building-blocks using a new biotechnological approach. These are then converted further catalytically into a wide range of products, including other value-added chemicals (such as components for paints and plastic), synthetic fuels, as well as recyclable or biodegradable materials normally produced from fossil hydrocarbons.
The aim of this 5-year project with a total budget of 44 million euros is to build and operate a facility capable of capturing 10,000 tonnes of industrial CO2 per year, an equivalent to the annual CO2 emissions from 2,200 cars and use it to produce chemicals.
We are excited to participate in a project that both captures CO2 and creates added value and new products. The European Green Deal boosts the transition towards a more sustainable future, and we choose to be a part of innovation projects like PyroCO2 to contribute to develop the circular economy and a climate-neutral Europe, says Thor Kamfjord, Director Sustainable Development, Norner.
The PyroCO2 factory will be located at the industrial cluster of Herøya Industrial Park in Porsgrunn, Norway, featuring several carbon-intensive industries. Here, the PyroCO2 process will benefit from close to 100% renewable electricity and complement ongoing large-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) efforts in Norway. Once successfully demonstrated, replication and further upscaling is envisioned throughout Europe and beyond.
The PyroCO2 project aims to establish itself as a lighthouse for innovative CCU technologies that can benefit equally the European industries, citizens, and the environment, on the path to a climate-neutral Europe with global impact”, says Dr. Francesca Di Bartolomeo at SITNEF.
The PyroCO2 can be a game-changer for carbon-intensive industries, such as plastics. In the project we will develop technology for production of future plastic materials based on the converted CO2 from our partners in the project. We look forward to contributing with our 40 years of experience in catalytic polymerisation and 15 years of development of CO2 based polymers to mitigate the challenges of managing the CO2-emissions and sustainability of plastics, says Dr. Siw B. Fredriksen, Strategic Advisor at Norner.
For more information, please visit Norner