Grant For Research Into A Sustainable Chemical Industry

Europe wants its chemical industry and electricity production to be fossil-free by 2050. The research project CO2URAGE helps the process industry become more sustainable by using green electricity and green hydrogen to produce chemicals and fuels based on CO₂ from the air or from biomass. The research is carried out within a large consortium of which Utrecht University is a part.

Because the supply of electricity from solar or wind energy is not constant, completely new, flexible chemical processes are needed that can be scaled up and down. The consortium is developing advanced reactors, processes, and control and storage strategies for the large-scale production of syngas, methane, and methanol. In addition, the researchers are assessing and optimizing the economic and ecological performance and feasibility of these innovative processes for large-scale application.

Matteo Gazzani, associate professor in the group of Energy & Resources of the Copernicus Institute, will be leading Work Package (WP) 3. This WP connects the technology development carried out in WP1 and WP2 to the process and system level, including the complex interaction between technology and society. While WP1 and WP2 focus on reactor level, WP3 will synthesize the processes and the systems where the technologies are embedded, considering the relevant boundary conditions from different scales and perspectives. The WP will have two PhD’s and one postdoc.

Perspective program
CO2URAGE is one of twelve research projects funded by the Perspectief programme. This programme of NWO, funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs. The programme challenges researchers to work in close cooperation with companies and civil society organisations on technological innovations with societal impact and the creation of economic opportunities for the Netherlands. The interdisciplinary research focuses on major societal challenges and key technologies, thus contributing to the ministry's Mission-Driven Innovation Policy.