Category: Project News

RWE’s carbon capture pilot plant at Niederaussem surpassed 100,000 operating hours

Post author By Think11
Post date 19/07/2022

RWE’s amine-based post-combustion carbon capture pilot plant at Niederaussem supplies CO2 to the CCU Campus, where R&D demonstrators to convert CO2 into fuels and chemicals are tested, including the ECO2Fuel demonstrator expected in 2025.

CO₂ source and sink for ECO₂Fuel: co-electrolysis of CO₂ and renewable power into e-fuel, emergency power generation from e-fuel and capturing CO₂ from engine exhaust
Closing the carbon cycle by Carbon Capture and Usage (CCU)
Worldwide unique benchmark in long-term tests of a carbon capture pilot plant
Celebrated by international experts on carbon capture on June 14, 2022

World record: The CO₂ scrubber in the RWE Innovation Center Niederaussem recently reached a special milestone with 100,000 operating hours. No other comparable system has so far achieved a similar runtime.

Since the commissioning of the research facility connected to the neighboring power plant in 2009, the widely applicable climate protection technology for reducing CO₂ emissions from industrial exhaust gases has been continuously tested and improved.

The separated CO₂ is used as a carbon source in several research and development projects in RWE’s innovation center for the production of sustainable fuels and chemicals and is also partly made available to external research projects.

For years, the carbon capture pilot plant at Niederaussem has been an important platform for international cooperation in the further optimization of this technology, which is essential for cross-sector climate protection.

RWE’s amine-based post-combustion carbon capture pilot plant at Niederaussem has surpassed 100,000 operating hours.

Around 50 experts from industry, research and project sponsors from the Netherlands, Norway, Great Britain and the USA took part in a small ceremony to mark the special occasion in the Innovation Center. Among them are the partners of the transatlantic LAUNCH project, which aims at lowering the consumption and ageing of the solvent in CO₂ separation systems.

Congratulations were received from the international partners of the current CCU projects at Niederaussem: ECO₂Fuel (co-electrolysis of CO₂ and water to C1-C4 alcohols) and the predecessor project LOTER.CO₂M (co-electrolysis of CO₂ and water to carbonaceous fuels), Take-Off (methanol and dimethyl ether from CO₂ and H₂ as intermediates for synthetic aviation fuel), and OCEAN (coupled co-electrolysis of CO₂, water and glycerol to formate as intermediates for e-chemicals such as oxalic acid).

In the ECO₂Fuel project, the carbon capture pilot plant at Niederaussem will be used to demonstrate multiple CO₂ cycles by capturing CO₂ from the exhaust gas of an emergency diesel generator running on synthetic fuels, converting the CO₂ back into synthetic fuel via co-electrolysis, and again using this fuel to generate emergency power, closing the carbon cycle.

The R&D projects for CO₂ capture in Niederaussem pave the way to a carbon cycle economy, for example in sewage sludge, biomass and waste incineration plants. If the utilization of CO₂ and regenerative power generation is coupled, a closed carbon cycle for climate-neutral chemicals and fuels is built. This means a big step towards sector coupling and more security in the supply of electricity and raw materials, greater stability in the electricity grid and further significant reductions in emissions.

Background CO₂ scrubbing at the Niederaussem Innovation Center

As part of international research projects, RWE is pushing ahead with the development of CO₂ scrubbing technology. As the first system at a power plant in Germany, the pilot system for CO₂ scrubbing was built in 2009 in cooperation with the companies BASF and Linde in the innovation center in Niederaussem.

Here, for example, it was clarified which CO₂ solvents can be used to clean the flue gas of CO₂ particularly effectively, economically and in an environmentally friendly manner. The solvent absorbs the CO₂ from the flue gas in an absorber and is regenerated in a desorber, releasing the CO₂. The CO₂ obtained in this way can be used together with sustainably produced hydrogen for the production of fuels and basic chemicals as well as for energy storage.

The CO₂ scrubbing pilot plant in Niederaussem supplies projects for CO₂ use and sector coupling with high-purity CO₂ and also serves as a test platform for the further optimization of the separation technology.

In the innovation center’s pilot plant, around 300 kilograms of carbon dioxide are captured per hour. This corresponds to a CO₂ separation rate of 90 percent for the processed amount of flue gas. The plant has an excellent availability of more than 97% and has been in operation almost continuously since 2009.

The process and the technology required for CO₂ scrubbing are designed in such a way that a wide range of industrial processes can be equipped with the appropriate systems. These include, for example, biomass, waste and sewage sludge incineration plants as well as cement and steel works.

Project News

Handling the challenges of advanced CO₂ electrolysis: Ion conduction, alcohol exclusion and salt exclusion

Post author By Think11
Post date 12/07/2022

The membrane is at the heart of any electrochemical membrane reactor, with the general tasks of separating the anode and cathode electrodes and chambers from each other while allowing ion conduction to complete the electrochemical circuit.

However, for the ECO₂Fuel technology, the membrane must fulfil three additional tasks to allow the efficient conversion of CO₂ into green fuels and valuable chemicals:

High ion conduction

The conductivity of ions through the membrane dictates the ohmic resistance and therefore the energy efficiency of the ECO₂Fuel technology. High ion conduction means low ohmic resistance, leading to better energy efficiency.

Alcohol exclusion

The ECO₂Fuel technology produces among other carbonaceous chemicals also alcohols by combining CO₂, water and electrons from renewable sources. However, ion-conducting membranes normally swell in contact with alcohols, allowing them to cross from the cathode to the anode chamber.

Alcohols that cross the membrane to the anode chamber will face the anode electrode, where they will be oxidised back to CO, reducing the efficiency of the technology. Therefore, membranes in the ECO₂Fuel technology need to possess ultra-low alcohol crossover.

Salt exclusion

Finally, the ECO₂Fuel process relies on a supporting alkaline electrolyte (salt) to maintain optimum conditions for the electrochemical reactions.

This electrolyte is introduced on the anode electrode, whereas the CO₂-to-fuel conversion occurs in the cathode. Only the membrane prevents access of salt to the fuel output line, the third critical function of the ECO₂Fuel membrane.

Achieving these three tasks together, Ion conduction, alcohol and salt exclusion, is especially challenging.

In ECO₂Fuel, Hydrolite directs the membrane development work package and will develop membranes with unique separation properties, allowing high performance and robustness for the ECO₂Fuel technology.

To implement molecular-scale and solution-phase sieving effects tailored to the specific species that need to be excluded to achieve the selective passage of the various reactants and products to where they are needed, Hydrolite is taking advantage of their advanced fabrication techniques.

Our academic partners in the consortium – CNR (Italy), DTU (Denmark), DLR (Germany) and UPV (Spain) provide critical feedback in the form of characterization and evaluation of these speciality components.

Hydrolite also works closely with industry partners including Electrolyzer Stack designer Vito (Belgium) to refine specifications – assuring that required separation and sealing quality are achieved, and Membrane-Electrode Assembly developer De Nora (Italy) to help achieve optimal integration between membranes and electrodes, and thus maximizing the overall performance of the Electrolyzer device.

CNR – Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche

DTU – Danmarks Tekniske Universitet

DLR – Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt

UPV – Universitat Politècnica de València

Dr Miles Page

CTO

Tags alcohol exclusion, co2 electrolysis, eco2fuel technology, hydrolite, ion conduction, salt exclusion

Project News

Membrane Characterization and Electrode Optimization

Post author By Think11
Post date 23/06/2022

The DLR Institute of Engineering Thermodynamics in Oldenburg is mainly involved in two topics of the ECO2Fuel project: the characterization of the membrane and the optimization of the electrodes.

The heart of the electrolysis cell

The membrane is the heart of the cell and responsible for separating the anode and cathode and transporting anions between the two electrodes. The ion-conducting properties of the membrane are a decisive factor in the performance of the electrolysis cell. However, the membrane is also susceptible to chemical or mechanical degradation.

For these reasons, a comprehensive characterization of the performance and stability properties is essential.

These are being investigated using various methods at DLR in Oldenburg, including the dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA).

DMA is a technique where a stress is applied and the strain in the material is analyzed, used to characterize a material’s mechanical properties as a function of the applied stress, temperature, time, atmosphere, or a combination of these parameters.

For the CO₂ electrolysis application in ECO2Fuel we investigate the membrane properties in a liquid environment under temperatures from 0 to 100°C. We try to be as close as possible to the operation conditions in the electrolysis cell, which is why the information about the membrane’s properties derived by DMA is crucial for designing the ECO2Fuel’s stack and system.

DLR Oldenburg focuses on developing stable catalyst inks

Regarding electrode optimization, DLR in Oldenburg focuses on developing stable catalyst inks for spray coating on the anode. The catalyst ink consists of the catalyst for the anode reaction, a binder material, and a solvent.

While DLR Oldenburg is not active in developing the catalyst, the materials that accelerate the reaction of CO2 into valuable chemicals, we are focusing on the ink composition.

For the ink, the binder serves has a twofold purpose: it serves as literally a physical binder, holding the catalyst layer (CL) together, on the other hand it is needed as an ion conductor through this layer. That is why the binder in most cases is a polymer material with the same chemical structure as the membrane. Thus, in order to have a good ion conduction, sufficient binder has to be implemented into the CL.

Too much binder leads to a performance decrease since it is blocking the transport of the educts and products through the layer. A well-designed catalyst layer usually has an amount of about 10-40 wt% binder.

The choice of the solvent on the other hand plays an important role for spray coating and the structure of the CL. The solvent is the carrying media in which the catalyst and the binder need to be homogeneously dispersed to allow spraying them onto the electrodes at which the reactions of the ECO2Fuel system will occur.

The ink needs to have a viscosity of maximum 100 mPas, so it can be atomized (sprayed). Isopropanol with a viscosity of 2.4 mPas is well-suited to serve here as a solvent that can easily evaporate during the coating process without applying high temperatures that could damage the membrane or ionomer.

This property allows achieving homogeneous distribution of the catalyst and the binder in the CL, which is critical for achieving high performances in the ECO2Fuel System.

Additionally, surfactants will be added to the ink to increase its stability. Monitoring the stability is done with Dynamic and Electrophoretic Light Scattering (DLS and ELS) and just observing the sedimentation of particles over time inside the catalyst ink.

Tags catalyst, co2reduction, coating, dlr, electrode optimization, electrolysis, membrane characterization

Project News

The real sustainability impact of the ECO2FUEL technology

Post author By Think11
Post date 30/05/2022

To have a good understanding of the real sustainability impact of the ECO2FUEL technology we use an integrated assessment including economic, environmental, and social aspects.

By integrating the three aspects in one assessment, the ECO2FUEL process as well as its full value chain can be understood and optimized towards the most sustainable configuration.

We map all costs and environmental impacts across the value chain and take into account the avoided impact of the fossil based liquid fuels that are substituted by the CO₂ based liquid fuels.

We aim for cross sectoral interconnections and the creation of new value chains which implies that a large variety of stakeholders will be involved, and it is important that they all understand the impact of their activities on the sustainability of the applications. Only then these green molecules can enter the market. Having both the detailed assessment results and the integrated results, allows for informed decision making.

Within ECO2FUEL partners and stakeholders are involved across the full, new value chain which is crucial to better understand the complexity and interconnections. In each step of the value chain multiple options are available, e.g. which renewable energy or CO₂ sources to target or which market for the end-product.

We will organize an interactive workshop to bring all insights from the different actors together, identify the synergies and potential barriers. This will improve the interactions and sharpen the focus to come to a successful and sustainable business case.

Project News

Two eCCU pilot plants at one site

Post author By Think11
Post date 06/04/2022
2 Comments on Two eCCU pilot plants at one site

A raving success: Trilateral Online Workshop eCCU3 on Carbon Capture and Electrochemical Utilization of CO2 counts 424 participants from all over the world

Without a strong contribution from all economic sectors the net-zero climate protection targets cannot be achieved. Fossil feedstock for the chemical industry and fossil fuels for long-distance transport must be substituted. Therefore, the reduction of CO₂ emissions by carbon capture and utilization (CCU) and an intersectoral carbon cycle economy will be crucial for the transformation of the supply systems in the future.

Benefits of lectrochemical synthesis technologies

Very promising are electrochemical synthesis technologies (eCCU) to produce fuels and base chemicals from renewable electricity and captured CO₂ as they can simplify process chains, reduce components and avoid high temperatures and pressures. In contradiction, the conventional thermo-chemical synthesis routes based on CO₂ and electrolytically produced H2 typically require temperatures >300°C and pressures >20bar for the reverse water-gas-shift reaction and consecutive process steps. Additionally, eCCU reduces the need for a H2 infrastructure, lowers greenhouse gas emissions and offers security of supply and grid stability in an energy scenario relying heavily on renewable power generation.

For the economic viability it is a great advantage to couple the cathodic CO₂ reduction with a suitable oxidation reaction at the anode in order to avoid the formation of oxygen which normally cannot be utilized and would then be released to the atmosphere. Coupling of oxidative and reductive electrosynthesis processes is a key to improve efficiency while reducing costs, wastes and emissions.

Introducing the OCEAN project

That is exactly what is now demonstrated as part of the European Horizon 2020-funded project OCEAN (No. 767798; www.spire2030.eu/ocean) at RWE’s Innovation Center at Niederaussem, Germany.

The process was engineered by Avantium, a leading technology company in renewable chemistry from the Netherlands, and the 6 kWel unit was constructed by the Italian engineering company Hysytech. Potassium formate is produced simultaneously at both electrodes of the electrochemical cell, cathode and anode. At the anode, glycerol – a by-product of the biodiesel production – is the feedstock and at the cathode CO₂ is converted. In consecutive processes, oxalic acid can be produced from the formate as an intermediate for high-value specialty chemicals.

E-fuels will be needed in applications where the poor energy density of batteries or hydrogen is prohibitive (e.g. aviation and long-haul transportation by truck and ship). E-fuels like alcohols and hydrocarbons offer a way to store and transport chemical energy effectively with a high density at a large scale and for long periods of time.

From LOTER.CO2M to ECO2Fuel

E-fuels allow to use the existing supply system and infrastructure and could defossilize the existing vehicle fleet. The project LOTER.CO2M (No. 761093; www.loterco2m.eu) has developed advanced low-cost electro-catalysts for the direct electrochemical reduction of CO₂ to methanol and other important industrial feedstocks, like ethanol and ethylene.

The developed electrochemical synthesis system works without the use of critical raw materials. A containerized 5 kWel demonstrator of the low-temperature and low-pressure CO₂-H2O co-electrolysis has been manufactured by the Belgian technology developer VITO. The LOTER.CO2M technology builds the basis for the follow-up project ECO2Fuel (No. 101037389) which aims at the realization of the worldwide first low-temperature 1 MW direct, electrochemical CO₂ conversion system to produce sustainable liquid e-fuels (C1-C4 alcohols) under industrially relevant conditions.

International Energy Agency

Klick here to download the full press release

The OCEAN and LOTER.CO2M units are fed by CO₂ that is captured by RWE’s amine-based post-combustion capture pilot plant. It’s operated 24/7 by the team on site. In the ongoing test program, the performance of the technology is assessed. The operational behavior during startup, ramp up/down cycles, operational parameter variations and continuous full-load operation are evaluated. Both projects have received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the grant agreements No 767798 (OCEAN) and 761093 (LOTER.CO2M).

Tags climate change, co2, dlr, eco2fuel, green deal, horizon2020, renewable energy

Project News

eCCU3 – A Trilateral Online Workshop on Carbon Capture & Electrochemical CO2 Utilization

Post author By Think11
Post date 08/03/2022

Carbon Capture and electrochemical Utilization of CO2 – From research to industrial application

Without a substantial contribution from all economic sectors the net-zero climate protection targets cannot be achieved. Fossil feedstock for the chemical industry and fossil fuels for long-distance transport must be substituted. Therefore, the reduction of CO₂ emissions by carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) and an intersectoral carbon cycle economy will be crucial in the transformation of the future supply systems. Very promising are electrochemical synthesis technologies to produce fuels and base chemicals from water, renewable electricity, and captured CO₂ as they avoid the effort of high synthesis temperatures and pressures.

In contradiction, the conventional thermochemical synthesis routes based on CO₂ and electrolytically produced H2 typically require temperatures >300°C and pressures >20bar for the reverse-water gas-shift reaction and consecutive reaction steps. Additionally, eCCU reduces the need for a H₂ infrastructure and the coupling of renewable power generation and carbon utilisation offers carbon-neutral chemicals and fuels, security of supply, grid stability, and emission reduction.

Twenty-two partners from nine countries representing industry, research institutes, and universities are advancing the electrochemical CO₂ utilisation in the three European-funded projects LOTER.CO2M, ECO2Fuel and OCEAN by demonstrating the complete technology chains at RWE’s Innovation Center at Niederaussem, comprising post-combustion CO₂ capture and its utilisation in the electrochemical synthesis units of:

Critical Raw Material-free Low-Temperature Electrochemical Reduction of CO₂ to Methanol The 5 kW demonstrator of LOTER.CO2M uses advanced, low-cost electrocatalysts and membranes for the direct electrochemical reduction of CO₂ to methanol and ethanol by low-temperature CO₂-H₂O co-electrolysis. LOTER.CO2M passes the baton on to the follow-up project ECO2Fuel.

Large-scale low-temperature electrochemical CO₂ Conversion to sustainable liquid fuels ECO2Fuel aims to design, manufacture, operate, and validate the worldwide first low-temperature 1 MW direct, electrochemical CO₂ conversion system to produce sustainable liquid e-fuels (C1-C4 alcohols) under industrially relevant conditions.

Oxalic acid from CO₂ using electrochemistry at demonstration scale The 6 kW unit of OCEAN demonstrates an innovative tandem electro-synthesis: Potassium formate is produced simultaneously at both electrodes of the electrochemical cell, cathode and anode. At the anode, glycerol – a by-product of the biodiesel production – is the resource. At the cathode CO₂ is the feedstock. In consecutive processes oxalic acid can be produced from the formate.

The eCCU³ Workshop brings together the international experts from the three European demonstration projects, scientists from various research fields, and the public. It will provide a broad overview of the progress and potential of eCCU. The attendees can follow six presentations on all aspects of electrochemical CO₂ utilisation and have the opportunity to discuss the status and prospects of the technology.

The three projects have received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the grant agreements No 767798 (OCEAN), 761093 (LOTER.CO2M) and 101037389 (ECO2Fuel).

The ECO2Fuel project will therefore consolidate the EU’s first-mover advantage in the green technology sector and strengthen its competitiveness with an innovative and disruptive technology to meet its emission targets by 2050.

Tags climate change, co2, dlr, eco2fuel, green deal, horizon2020, renewable energy

Project News

The future of industrial scale production of carbon-neutral fuels and chemicals

Post author By Think11
Post date 09/02/2022

Quelle: Adobe Stock #399208716

The radical reduction of greenhouse gas emissions will require actions in all sectors that are inherently different and difficult, asking for an almost total re-thinking of our day-to-day energy management. This is how LOTER.CO2M was born.

Droughts and wildfires, freshwater shortages, floods, pests and invasive species, food and water wars, and climate migration are just some of the threats we face today with climate change in Europe.

As a forerunner in environmental protection worldwide, the European Union attempts to pull the plug on global warming with its many initiatives, especially the Green Deal. With its 2030 Climate Target Plan under the Green Deal, the European Commission proposes raising the EU’s ambition to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to at least 55% below 1990 levels by 2030.

However, this radical reduction of greenhouse gas emissions will require actions in all sectors that are inherently different and difficult, asking for an almost total re-thinking of our day-to-day energy management. This increases the hurdle to achieving efficient decarbonisation cost-effectively on time. And while it is true that a green carbon-neutral future isn’t achievable without implementing significant changes, we need to have low-threshold solutions allowing us to kickstart the transition without larger sacrifices to our everyday life quality.

With this in mind, we initiated LOTER.CO2M (This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 under the Grant Agreement number 761093) in 2018 attempting to convert CO2 with renewable electricity and water into carbon-neutral fuels and value-added chemicals in a single step without the need for hydrogen.

By doing this we replace the fossil carbon in fuels and critical chemicals with renewable, recycled carbon from CO2 and ease the transition to a carbon-neutral future without any compromises.

In three years of intensive research and development with partners from the industry (RWE, Bekaert, JohnsonMatthey EWII, and research organisations DLR, CNR, VITO, UVP and DTU) we developed critical raw material free catalysts, membranes, stack and a functioning 5kW CO2 electrolyzer and raised the technological readiness level from three to five.

Today, the electroylzer is operated at RWE in Niederaußem with waste CO2 and renewable electricity to efficiently generate carbon-neutral fuels (mainly carbon monoxide, methane, and ethylene).

Following this success story aiming to further our contribution to the EU’s climate target plan, we head out to upscale the LOTER.CO2M technology to build the world’s first direct CO2 electrolyzer at a 1MW scale and received the support of the European Union. As of October 2021, experts from 15 international organizations from industry and research are working together in the ECO2Fuel project to lift the LOTER.CO2M’s technology readiness level from 5 to 7 and push it toward commercialization for a greener and fossil fuel independent future.

The 1MW ECO2Fuel CO2 electrolyzer will convert 229 tons of CO2 to carbon-neutral fuels and chemicals considering a direct connection to renewable energy sources with an operation time of 2701 hours/year, which translates to converting 85kg of CO2 per hour.

Tags climate change, co2, dlr, eco2fuel, green deal, horizon2020, renewable energy

Project News

Building a low-carbon, climate-resilient future

Post author By Think11
Post date 18/01/2022
1 Comment on Building a low-carbon, climate-resilient future

climate-resilient future horizon2020 project

The European Union aims to develop solutions that will assure the carbon neutrality and climate resilience of Europe and to contribute substantially to similar achievements in neighbouring and developing countries in the second half of the century. This very ambitious goal requires a highly integrated approach through the multiple angles of society, economy, technology, industrial value chains and environment, health, land use and governance.

In ECO2Fuel, 15 international partners from the chemical, energy, hydrogen, mechanical engineering and automotive industry, and several research institutions set out to contribute to this goal by building the worldwide first CO2 conversion system to convert 742 tons of CO2 per year into economic and sustainable liquid e-fuels and chemicals. This will be achieved via a novel low temperature, single-step, and critical-raw material free electrochemical route that was developed in the European funded LOTER.CO2M project.

With this, ECO2Fuel aims to contribute to the EU goals in shaping a green future and counteract man-made climate change.

The project aims to demonstrate the potential of this technology on an industrial scale and secure Europe’s lead in the global race for the development of carbon dioxide recovery technologies. “With the international consortium of ECO2Fuel from Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Denmark, Israel, Greece and the Netherlands, we will be driving the electrochemical CO2 reduction towards commercialization in the coming five years, assuring the leading position of the EU in developing green technologies for a brighter future”, says Dr. Schwan Hosseiny, Project Coordinator and Scientist at DLR.

Tags climate-resilient future, co2, dlr, eco2fuel, green future, greendeal, horizon2020, renewable energy, rwe

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