Advanced chemicals production from biogenic CO2 emissions for circular bio-based industries

Project Information

CO2SMOS

Grant agreement ID: 101000790

DOI

10.3030/101000790

Project closed

EC signature date 21 April 2021

Start date 1 May 2021

End date 30 April 2025

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine, maritime and inland water research, and the bioeconomy

Total cost

€ 6 918 240,00

EU contribution

€ 6 918 240,00

Coordinated by

FUNDACION CARTIF
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 3 - CO2SMOS (Advanced chemicals production from biogenic CO2 emissions for circular bio-based industries)

Reporting period: 2024-05-01 to 2025-04-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

CO2SMOS Project aimed at converting biogenic CO2 into added-value chemicals for their application into chemicals and polymers, with the challenge of developing biogenic CO2-based biorefinery processes with zero or negative greenhouse gas emissions.
The project tackled the primary conversion of CO2 into two platform bulk chemicals, syngas and acetate, and their latter conversion into seven intermediates (polyhydroxyalkanoates (mcl-PHA and PHB), 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BDO), long chain dicarboxylic acids (LcDCAs), BTEX, cyclic carbonates and hydroxycarboxylic acids (HCAs). Gas and liquid fermentations, electrocatalysis, electrolysis and thermocatalysis processes mingled within CO2SMOS to shape the technological toolbox through which these conversions were achieved.
The production of CO2-derived mcl-PHA, PHB and 2,3-BDO through fermentation, and of cyclic carbonates through thermocatalytic reaction of CO2 and epoxidized oils was upscaled up to the expected TRL5, a scale also reached in their validation as suitable intermediates for the formulation of biomaterials. CO2SMOS biomaterials comprised high glass transition temperature polyesters -intended for applications like hot beverage containers- and biodegradable biomaterials -for applications such as packaging, compostable bags, biodegradable soil mulch films or filaments for additive manufacturing-.
A thorough analysis of the CO2SMOS value chains was also completed in terms of sustainability, technoeconomic viability and marketability. The affordability of CO2SMOS products was identified as the main barrier to overcome in the path towards replication at large scale. On the other hand, their market deployment will be paved by their versatility and industrial relevance and above all, by the CO2SMOS products’ trademark, their sustainable character. This claim for sustainability is backed by the demonstrated performance of CO2SMOS value chains as carbon sinks. Further insights about the environmental performance of these CO2-to-intermediate value chains can be consulted in CO2SMOS Industrial Symbiosis Platform: https://co2smosplatform.com/
CO2SMOS also contributed to the promotion of CCU technologies with, among other initiatives, a list of policy recommendations to accelerate the transition to a circular carbon economy after analysing the regulatory framework in the field, and a guideline to promote the acceptance of CO2-derived product development after a thorough work on the evaluation of the social acceptance of this kind of products.

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

The preparatory actions included the mapping of the sources of biogenic CO2 and the scenarios required for CO2 utilization according to the stakeholders’ needs.
Technical actions for the production of the seven intermediates started at lab-scale with the kick-off of the Project, and leaped to pilot scale during the last 18 months of Project.
The work performed and main achieved results in each technology were:
Liquid and gas fermentations were scaled up to 150 litres. CO2-to-acetate and acetate-to-mcl-PHA/PHB fermentations fulfilled the expected KPIs; relevant results were also achieved for their downstream processing (DSP).
The performance of the High Temperature-Proton Exchange Membrane (HT-PEM) and reverse water-gas shift (RWGS) catalyst improved the state of the art but the coupling of the three items of the envisaged eCMR for the production of syngas from CO2 and water was burdened by the incompatibilities of working temperatures
The integration of a Solid electrolyte O2 separator with a reaction chamber for a syngas-to-aromatics (StA) reaction was neither successful but the performance of the developed StA catalyst was excellent.
Within the electrocatalytic approach, the targeted selectivity was achieved for both glycol-to-glycolic acid anodic reaction and CO2-to-CO cathodic reaction and the longevity for both reactions was excellent.
The production of carbonates also achieved the pursued targets thanks to the development of recyclable catalysts able to reach 99 % conversion and 91 % selectivity in the carbonation of the epoxidized oils.
Further insights about CO2SMOS technical results can be consulted in its Results Booklet: https://co2smos.eu/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/CO2SMOS-Research-Results-Booklet-1.pdf
The validation of the use of these intermediates in the formulation of CO2SMOS end-products followed a similar schedule and concluded with the validation of the use of four intermediates in the formulation of polyesters and biomaterials whose properties were proved to be suitable for their intended applications.
The exploitation activities provided a comprehensive overview of the project's progress in raising awareness and understanding of CO2 valorisation among stakeholders. By identifying Key Exploitable Results and establishing coherent guidelines for exploitation strategies, the project laid the groundwork for future commercialization and market diffusion of the developed technologies.
The dissemination of the results according to the internal D&C Plan resulted in a remarkable visibility of CO2SMOS. The external stakeholders could follow the achieved outcomes through the Project’s website and social networks. The eight scientific papers published by the end of the Project (a number that may rocket up to 15 after its conclusion) indicate the relevance and high-quality of the deployed technical work.

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)

The most noteworthy technical progresses beyond the state of the art are: (i) Genetic modifications in strains producing 2,3-BDO and mcl-PHA by liquid fermentation allowed to reach to expected KPIs, (ii) development of solvent-free DSP for PHB, (iii) HT-PEM’s lifetime lengthened beyond 90 h, with 13 h as highest value reported in literature so far, (iv) cost-effective catalyst for RWGS reaction with 100% selectivity to CO and activities below 300 ºC above any other reference, (v) tailored catalyst able to produce more than 50% of p-xylene in xylenes fraction from the StA reaction, (vi) Faradaic efficiencies above 80 % in the electro-oxidation of ethylene glycol to glycolic acid catalysed by Pd-Ag combinations supported on Ni foams, (vii) new approach in electro-reduction of CO2 to CO based on a high pressure process with excellent selectivity (>90%) and stability (>400h)
Besides these milestones, the feasibility of the integration of four CO2-derived intermediates into the final formulation of CO2SMOS end products was confirmed up to pilot plant.
All pilot-scale CO2-to-intermediate conversion pathways achieved net-negative GHG emissions. The emissions ranged from –6.60 to –0.04 kg CO2eq per kg biochemical. The environmental properties of CO2SMOS intermediates improved their fossil counterparts, but on the other end their affordability was lower.
The variety of technological challenges unlocked along the implementation of CO2SMOS led to the identification of 10 business models onto which the future replication of the Project can be built.
In the social sphere, CO2SMOS developed a guideline for acceptance-driven product development with the aim of achieving moderate to high acceptance among end consumers after roll-out, as measured by established social science measurement tools, indicating a positive reception of the intermediate products and aligning with consumer expectation. This guideline constitutes public deliverable D6.10 and will be accessible in the CORDIS profile of the Project after acceptance.

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