Braskem Announces Studies For Sustainable Plastic Production From CO2 Capture And Use

Project is being developed in partnership with researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago, in the United States

Committed to sustainable innovation, Braskem joined the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), in the United States, to research a development route for ethylene, a raw material used in the production of thermoplastic resins, applying capture technology and use of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted in industrial processes. Such emissions are produced whenever coal, oil, natural gas or other fossil fuels, rich in carbon, are burned for power generation, for example. The UIC's disruptive technology in partnership with Braskem has great global potential for industrial applications, by connecting the production of polymers to the capture and conversion of CO2, one of the components of the greenhouse effect and one of the main contributors to climate change.

The project is in its initial stage of development and Braskem will have the mission of combining its know-how in the commercialization of raw materials and production of polymers with the theme to scale the technology, contributing to the validation of theoretical and experimental studies, produced by the university . "Reducing carbon emissions is a fundamental premise to combat climate change, a commitment that is part of our macro-objectives for sustainable development. The objective of the partnership with the University of Illinois in Chicago, is to evaluate the possibility of capturing and converting the CO2 emitted in our industrial operation to make it a raw material in our polymer production processes ", says Luiz Alberto Falcon, responsible for Braskem's recycling platform.

According to a study by the International Energy Agency, the global chemical industry emits approximately 1.5 billion tons of CO2 annually from the use of energy in addition to its industrial processes. Initial estimates of the technology's potential indicate that if all of this gas were converted and recovered, more than 300 million tons of chemicals or resins would be generated, such as those produced by Braskem. In addition, the use of renewable energy in the process is key to reducing the carbon footprint and improving the attractiveness of technology from an economic and environmental perspective.

According to Professor Meenesh Singh, responsible for the project at the University of Illinois at Chicago, the partnership with Braskem will contribute to the development of an integrated, sustainable and energy-efficient technology. "Fossil fuels, such as natural gas and coal, are used extensively in industrial boilers to generate steam for the production of chemicals. More sustainable boiler operations, with greater energy efficiency and reduced carbon intensity, require continuous capture of CO2 and its recycling for chemicals such as ethylene, which has a major impact on the circular economy of manufacturing processes. The objective of the partnership between UIC and Braskem is to establish a completely integrated, sustainable and low-energy system, capable of continuously capturing flue gas CO2 and converting it into ethylene for the production of polyethylene. To develop the system with the necessary performance, our group at UIC will rely on the experience demonstrated in electrochemical CO2 reduction reactions and will combine it with the technology that is being patented to actively capture CO2 from flue gases "explains the professor Singh.

It should be noted that sustainable innovation is part of Braskem's DNA, which believes in the transformational power of chemistry and plastic, as well as its responsible use to improve people's lives. Currently, the company has a team of more than 300 professionals dedicated to the topic, with 216 projects in the innovation and technology pipeline to serve the different business areas and 903 patent documents filed in Brazil and abroad.

For Gus Hutras, responsible for Braskem's Process Technology area, it is essential to seek partnerships with universities for the development of projects with transformative potential in the industry. "Innovation is part of our corporate culture, being a way of thinking and acting intrinsic to our performance, with a fundamental role in our trajectory. We encourage our members to challenge and be challenged, so that they can exercise different perspectives and experiences, building new ones learning paths. We are always attentive to opportunities for collaborative work and the exchange of ideas and knowledge, whether with universities, startups or other players, globally ", he concludes.

Innovation in favor of the circular carbon neutral economy
Braskem announced, in November this year, the expansion of its efforts to become a carbon neutral company by 2050. To achieve this goal, the company's strategy considers reduction, compensation and capture initiatives of carbon, as well as expansion of the I'm greenT portfolio, which includes products with a focus on circular economy, and the commitment to ensure that, in the next 10 years, there is an adequate disposal of 1.5 million tons of plastic waste.

Committed to sustainability since its foundation in 2002, the company is a pioneer in the production of biopolymers and stands as co-responsible in the face of the challenge of preventing and combating climate change. The initiatives for the coming decades are aligned with the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations (UN), its 17 Sustainable Development Goals, and with the Paris Agreement to control the impacts of climate change.

Get to know Braskem's manifesto at www.braskem.com.br/macroobjetivo.