SunCoChem will offer an efficient system for producing high-value chemicals from CO2, currently limited due to low CO2 reactivity. Photo-electrocatalysts and photo-electrodes with increased efficiency and stability can contribute to solve this challenge by developing competitive systems to convert sunlight, H2O and CO2 into valuable products.During the project, a modular photoelectrocatalytic tandem reactor prototype will be developed and validated in an industrial plant where the conversion of anthropogenic CO2 emissions from DOW-Tarragona will be carried out, to synthesise value-added chemicals that have been historically produced from fossil fuels.
TPER components
Hybrid photocathode for CO2 conversion to oxo-products
Photoanode for water oxidation
Transparent bipolar membrane (TBM)
CO2 capture and concentration stage
Demonstrated at a TRL5 scale
The TPER will be demonstrated at a TRL5 scale (1m2 size) in order to validate that CO2 can be reused as a raw material in a sustainable and competitive way, integrating CO2 capture and conversion. This is key for obtaining a reduction in costs, improved sunlight-to-chemicals energy conversion efficiency and improved stability.
Modular concept
A modular concept will allow a reduced control, simplified maintenance and a more compact, smaller system able to be integrated in different factory environments at various size scales and productivity targets.
Photoelectrocatalytic tandem reactor processes
- CO2 capture from air/exhaust gases from the Chemical Industry and its selective concentration in ILs
- Photocatalytic water oxidation (anode reaction)
- Photo-electrocatalytic CO2 conversion to CO and H2 (cathode reaction)
- C-C bond formation by in situ CO-carbonylation to oxo-products
VALIDATED IN AN INDUSTRIAL ENVIRONMENT
The PhotoELECTROcatalytic tandem reactor will be validated in an industrial plant environment at the production facility of IFF for the conversion of anthropogenic CO2 emissions from Dow plant, to produce three added-value chemicals.
By these means, CO2 from Dow can be re-used as a raw material within IFF and Dow plants in a sustainable and synergistic manner to valorise CO2 and other internal sub-products with renewable energy sources to produce added-value oxo-products.
The converted CO2 will be used for the production of three chemicals of interest of SunCoChem partners: LimoxalTM, Valeraldehyde and Glycolic Acid.
SunCoChem validation in an industrial environment will allow a realistic comparison of the SunCoChem technology with the current fossil-fuel-based approach from the perspective of the techno-economic, environmental, and societal and market future impacts.