From out of emissions, e-fuels
Since its launch in 2021, the EU-funded ECO2Fuel(opens in new window) project has been striving for a low-carbon, climate-resilient European future by speeding up the adoption of carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) technologies. To achieve this, it is developing the world’s first 1 MW low-temperature electrolyser capable of producing sustainable liquid fuels. The ECO2Fuel system converts captured CO2 directly into electrofuels, or e-fuels, using renewable electricity and water. By demonstrating this technology at industrial scale, the project seeks to establish e-fuels as a feasible pathway for reducing emissions in Europe’s most carbon-intensive sectors.
From 50 kW to 1 MW
In 2024, ECO2Fuel developed a 50 kW electrolyser stack, the central component of the system that splits water into hydrogen and oxygen using electricity. The project’s electrolyser system is able to operate at elevated pressures, monitor gas continuously and recycle the cathodic gas mixture in order to increase CO2 conversion. As reported in a ‘MarineLink’ news item(opens in new window), scaling up the system to 1 MW is a key objective, with a view to testing it by 2026. To make this possible, there are 25 cells of 1 500 cm² in the 50 kW stack, creating a total area of 3.75 m². The 1 500 cm² cell is a significant milestone in proton exchange membrane electrolyser technology, enabling scaling to megawatt-level systems. ECO2Fuel has already overcome several scaling challenges. These include stack sealing at higher pressures, gas- and liquid-flow management, and structural integrity of the stack components. German project partner RWE Power has also successfully showcased a new method of generating back-up power with e-fuels using a stationary engine delivering 200 kW of electric output. The exhaust gases from the engine were directed to a carbon capture plant that employs an amine-based chemical process to remove CO₂. This system captures 7.2 tonnes of CO₂ per day, corresponding to 90 % of the CO₂ contained in the exhaust stream. More recent testing yielded a capture rate of 99.8 %, resulting in a lower CO2 concentration in the off-gas emitted from the plant than was present in the atmosphere. The captured CO₂ is subsequently utilised as feedstock for ECO2Fuel’s 1 MW electrolyser system. The carbon-based e-fuels the system produces can then be reintroduced into the engine, establishing a cycle that recycles carbon instead of releasing it into the atmosphere. In this way, carbon circularity is achieved. Emphasising CCU’s strategic role in the European Green Deal, Tudy Bernier, Policy Director at CO₂ Value Europe – an international association representing the entire CCU value chain in Europe – stated: “CCU will not be the only solution we need, but it will absolutely be one of them, especially for hard-to-abate sectors like aviation, shipping, and heavy industry. These are areas where electrification is either technically complex or economically unviable in the short term, and where drop-in CCU fuels can offer a more realistic alternative to fossil-based options.” The ECO2Fuel (LARGE-SCALE LOW-TEMPERATURE ELECTROCHEMICAL CO2 CONVERSION TO SUSTAINABLE LIQUID FUELS) project is helping to make this green alternative feasible. For more information, please see: ECO2Fuel project website(opens in new window)
