PyroCO2
Bioprocess Technology is participating in the European project PYROCO2 which will demonstrate the scalability and economic viability of carbon capture and utilization (CCU) using the innovative bioprocess PYROCO2. The goal is to produce acetone from industrial CO2 and hydrogen derived from renewable electricity. Allowing to obtain a commodity that the industry uses as a platform to manufacture chemical products and materials with a negative carbon footprint.
The demonstration plant to be built in the project will have the capacity to use 10,000 tonnes of industrial CO2 per year as raw material, equivalent to the annual CO2 emissions of 2,200 conventional cars. The PYROCO2 team aims to achieve wide market acceptance of its innovative technologies to achieve emissions savings of 17 Mt CO2eq by 2050.
The PYROCO2 project addresses the theme of the Green Deal call LC-GD-3-1-2020 – Closing the industrial carbon cycle to combat climate change – Industrial viability of catalytic routes for sustainable alternatives to fossil resources. The project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Research and Innovation Programme 2020 under grant agreement No 101037009.
Creating sustainable value from industrial CO2
Sustainable value creation from industrial CO2Achieving climate neutrality by 2050 requires a rapid paradigm shift towards the implementation of new climate-positive solutions that can boost the European market.
New emerging solutions for carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) have great potential to decarbonize production in the chemical industry, while enabling value creation from part of its own carbon emissions.
In this context, the PYROCO2 project will demonstrate the scalability and economic viability of carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) to produce acetone from industrial CO2 and hydrogen derived from renewable electricity. The core of the technology is a low-energy thermophilic microbial bioprocess, thanks to which a reduction of 17 Mt CO2eq is projected by 2050.
The acetone produced by the PYROCO2 process will prove to be an ideal platform for the catalytic synthesis of a range of chemicals, fuel synthetics and recyclable polymeric materials from CO2. Promoting the generation of a portfolio of viable business cases and pre-developed processes for replication and commercialization.
The PYROCO2 demonstration plant will be able to produce at least 4,000 tonnes of acetone per year from 9,100 tonnes of industrial CO2 and green hydrogen. It will be located in the industrial cluster of the Herøya Industrial Park in southern Norway. Strategic location that guarantees access to industrial CO2 raw material and green energy at a competitive price. The plant will connect several carbon-intensive industries with chemical production through industrial symbiosis.
From here, the PYROCO2 project will represent a key driver for the emergence of CCU Hubs across Europe. In addition to the large-scale demonstration and full financial, regulatory and environmental evaluation of the PYROCO2 technology, the project will explore the sphere of public acceptance and market exploitation to further foster the emergence of the CCU market.