LARGE-SCALE LOW-TEMPERATURE ELECTROCHEMICAL CO2 CONVERSION TO SUSTAINABLE LIQUID FUELS

Project Information

ECO2Fuel

Grant agreement ID: 101037389

DOI

10.3030/101037389

EC signature date 24 September 2021

Start date 1 October 2021

End date 30 September 2026

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies

Total cost

€ 20 095 544,28

EU contribution

€ 16 620 616,01

Coordinated by

DEUTSCHES ZENTRUM FUR LUFT - UND RAUMFAHRT EV
Germany

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - ECO2Fuel (LARGE-SCALE LOW-TEMPERATURE ELECTROCHEMICAL CO2 CONVERSION TO SUSTAINABLE LIQUID FUELS)

Reporting period: 2023-04-01 to 2025-03-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The ECO2Fuel project is an initiative under the European Union's Horizon2020 (Green Deal) that aims to address the pressing issue of climate change by revolutionizing the way we source carbon. The project is focused on the development, operation, and validation of the world's first low-temperature 1MW direct, electrochemical CO2 conversion system. This system is designed to produce economically viable and sustainable liquid e-fuels and chemicals.

The problem being addressed by the ECO2Fuel project is the over-reliance on fossil fuels as the primary source of carbon. This reliance is responsible for the emission of CO2, which accelerates climate change. The project seeks to change this paradigm by deriving carbon from CO2 instead of fossil fuels. This approach will help to reduce emissions from thousands of essential items, set new standards for the industry, and prevent further CO2 emissions.

The importance of this project for society is immense. Carbon is a fundamental component of life and drives innovations in various sectors, including fuel, electronics, building materials, and electric car parts. By replacing fossil carbon in fuels and chemicals with recycled carbon from CO2, the project can contribute significantly to reducing the carbon footprint of these sectors. This is particularly crucial as the demand for transport, which accounts for around a fifth of global CO2 emissions, is expected to grow worldwide in the coming decades.

The overall objectives of the ECO2Fuel project are multifaceted. Firstly, it aims to scale a single-step CO2 conversion process to produce liquid e-fuels without the need for hydrogen. Secondly, the project is not only about recycling carbon from CO2 but also about the smart development, scale-up, implementation, and recycling of the critical components and the optimized use of the produced fuels and chemicals. Lastly, the project represents a unique opportunity to bring the CO2 electrochemical reduction technology to an industrial relevant level, which is a powerful route to achieve an important milestone towards a greener future.

The ECO2Fuel project is a collaborative effort involving an international consortium from Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Denmark, Israel, Greece, and the Netherlands. These partners are committed to driving the electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction towards commercialization in the next five years, thereby assuring the leading position of the EU in developing green technologies for a brighter future.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

(WP1) In the second period, the coordination team has created a constant feedback loop, sharing and correlating results between partners is vital in making progress and reaching all the milestones, and the coordination team helps in creating this collaborative environment.

(WP2) In the second period, the 50kW stack was assembled multiple times and system was run in accordance to the parameters targeted with the project. With each assembly, new hurdles were identified for example, membrane swelling, H2 crossover. Several issue were addressed and mitigation steps were taken such as the inclusion of stepped frames, sub-gaskets, and polymer coating of the BBPs.

(WP3) In the second period, optimization of the upscaling synthesis of the selected Cu2O formulation is done but further optimization to reduce the time required for the synthesis process is ongoing.


(WP4) In the second period, membrane was optimization in order for those properties to be optimized for durability, conductivity and save measurements.

(WP5) In the second period, De Nora developed a process for the production of the electrodes for the 50 kW stack. De Nora shipped electrodes with commercial catalyst for the 50 kW stack, and testing was performed.


(WP6) In the second period, Detailed system design, building on the work was conducted, where the Process Flow Diagram (PFD) was developed and initial calculations were performed, significant progress has been made. This includes the design of the Piping and Instrumentation Diagram (P&ID) and the selection of system components.

(WP7) In the second period, The CO2 recycling from the exhaust gas of the diesel genset was demonstrated for the first time in June 2024 (04.06.2024 M33). The diesel engine was run at rated electrical power (200 kW) and all of its exhaust gas was fed into the existing carbon capture pilot plant.


(WP8) In the second period, RWE has installed an exhaust gas duct from the genset to the intake of the CO2 capture plant to demosntrate “Multiple CO2 Recycling”. The CO2 recovery system comprises all necessary components, instrumentation and piping for the multiple CO2 recycling.

(WP9) In the reporting period, VITO extended the calculations of the mass and energy balance from the CO2 electrolyser, the upstream processing steps, the downstream steps as well as the KOH consumption. We refined the social impact assessment methodology.

(WP10) a project identity was created, along with a website and social media accounts. A Communication & Dissemination (C&D) strategy was developed, and stakeholder analysis started, resulting in a stakeholder list. Key exploitable results were identified in an exploitation workshop.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Progress Beyond the State of the Art:

The project has made a significant leap from state-of-the-art CO2 electrolysis, which typically yields low-value products like CO or formic acid, by building on a 5kW system from the LOTER.CO2M project. The advancement to a 50 kW system, currently under construction at VITO, represents a substantial upscaling in terms of materials, components, and system size.
The development of novel materials and components for a CO2 electrolyser at this scale (50kW) surpasses current state-of-the-art technologies, which are mostly confined to lab-scale demonstrations with low active surface areas and power not exceeding 1kW.

Expected Results:

The project's immediate focus is on testing the prototype and further upscaling the design for the large-scale 1MW demonstrator.
Essential site preparation and permitting documentation for the 1 MW ECO2Fuel demonstrator has been completed, which is crucial for the permitting authorities and the activities of the project partners on the industrial demonstration site.
The project is also gearing up to validate climate-friendly peak-power production with multiple carbon recycling, with construction work for integrating the peak-power generator into the industrial site's infrastructure underway and validation tests scheduled to start in Q2 2024.

Potential Impacts:

The project anticipates generating exploitable results that will offer options for peak power production from carbonaceous fuels with ultra-low CO2 emissions, potentially leading to significant benefits in terms of carbon footprint emission mitigation, energy efficiency, and the development of licenses.
Socio-economic and wider societal implications are a major focus, with the project aiming to validate the economic feasibility of the ECO2Fuel technology through a techno-economic analysis and achieve a substantial reduction in industrial CO2 emissions, targeting at least 200 Mt per annum by 2050 and maintaining a carbon intensity below 20 g CO2eq/MJ, as assessed using life cycle assessment.

50kW electrolyzer