Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGBKick-off meeting of the H2020 project “CO2-based Electrosynthesis of ethylene oXIDE – CO2EXIDE”
On 18th/19th January, the kick-off meeting of the CO2EXIDE project “CO2-based electrosynthesis of ethylene oxide”, coordinated by Fraunhofer IGB, Straubing branch BioCat, was held in Brussels to give the initial starting point for partners to work. “Every partner, from academia to industry, knows about the significance and impact of the CO2EXIDE project on the further development of future chemical factories”, Dr. Tobias Gärtner introduced to the audience. In the course of the meeting, the workplan and project internal cooperations have been intensified and partners from different areas of science had the chance to get in touch with each other.
The CO2EXIDE project aims at the development of a combined electrochemical-chemical technology for the production of ethylene oxide from biobased CO2. Initially, the electrochemical step pursues the simultaneous conversion of CO2 to ethylene at the cathode and water oxidation to hydrogen peroxide at the anode. A subsequent chemical conversion of both intermediates to ethylene oxide will deliver oligo-/polyethylene glycol in a chemical cascade reaction. The CO2EXIDE technology combines a modular nature for the feasibility of a decentralised application, a high energy and material efficieny/yield and the substitution of fossil based production of ethylene oxide. In line with the energy turnaround, the CO2EXIDE technology will be combinable with renewables and allows for the direct creation of products, which can be integrated into the existing supply chain. The reactions will be operated at low temperatures and pressures and forecast significant improvements in energy and resource efficiency combined with an enormous reduction of GHG emissions. All improvements will be quantitated using life cycle assessment.
The CO2EXIDE approach will bring together physicists, chemists, engineers and dissemination and exploitation experts from five universities/research institutions, three SMEs and two industries, innovatively joining their key technologies to develop and exploit an unprecedented process based on CO2, renewable energy and water to connect the chemical and energy sector. The project was funded by the EU in cooperation with SPIRE. The overall funding is 5.42 million € (768789).
Partners:
- Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB (Germany)
- AGH University of Science and Technology, Academic Centre for Materials and Nanotechnology, Kraków (Poland)
- Institute of Solid State Physics of the University of Latvia (Latvia)
- Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Department of Atomic Physics (Hungary)
- University of Southampton (UK)
- Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG (Germany)
- Siemens AG (Germany)
- Energieinstitut an der Johannes-Kepler-Universität Linz (Austria)
- axiom Angewandte Prozesstechnik Ges.m.b.H. (Austria)
- Eimer, Ulrich + Bartolovic, Vera GbR (Germany)
