Periodic Reporting for period 1 - PYROCO2 (Demonstrating sustainable value creation from industrial CO2 by its thermophilic microbial conversion into acetone)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2021-10-01 al 2023-03-31
Summary:
Achieving climate neutrality by 2050 requires a rapid paradigm shift towards the implementations of new, climate positive solutions that can boost the European market. Emerging new solutions for carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) have great potential to decarbonize production in the chemical industry, while allowing value creation from parts of its own carbon emissions.
In this context, the PYROCO2 project will demonstrate the scalability and economic viability of carbon capture and utilization (CCU) to make climate-positive acetone out of industrial CO2 and renewable electricity derived hydrogen. Core of the technology is an energy-efficient thermophilic microbial bioprocess that is projected towards significant CO2 reductions by 2050. The acetone produced by the PYROCO2 process will be demonstrated as an ideal platform for the catalytic synthesis of a range of chemicals, synthetic fuels, and recyclable polymer materials from CO2, generating a portfolio of viable business cases and pre-developed processes for replication and commercialization.
The PYROCO2 demonstrator plant will be able to produce up to 4,000 tonnes acetone annually from 9,100 tonnes of industrial CO2 and green hydrogen. It will be located at the industrial cluster of Herøya Industrial Park in southern Norway, a strategic placement that guarantees access to industrial CO2 feedstock and green energy at a competitive price and connects 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. Besides the large-scale demonstration and full financial, regulatory, and environmental assessment of the PYROCO2 technology, the project will explore the sphere of public acceptance and market exploitation to further encourage the emergence of the CCU market.
Objectives:
The PYROCO2 project will demonstrate the scalability and economic viability of carbon capture and utilization (CCU) to make climate-positive acetone, a platform chemical for many other chemicals, fuel additives, and materials. This will be realized by achieving the following specific objectives:
To design and build a demonstrator-scale chemical production plant based on industrial symbiosis that clearly shows new options for European carbon-intensive industries to create value from CO2 while reducing emissions.
To demonstrate large-scale industrial feasibility of thermophilic microbial gas fermentation to produce up o 4,000 t/a acetone from CO2 and renewable electricity as a platform for its further chemo-catalytic upgrading into a range of other commodity chemicals and materials.
To establish and promote the new chemical production platform as a more sustainable and economically viable alternative to existing fossil-feedstock based production of acetone and derivable products.
To create synergies with a wide spectrum of existing and future projects and initiatives of relevance for the Green Transition in Europe, including existing efforts for the emergence of CCUS hubs, related CCUS solutions, renewable energy, and hydrogen.
To become a key driver for the emergence of CCU Hubs across Europe so that the European chemical industry can lead the ongoing low-carbon and circular economy transitions and ensure that investment and policy needs are met to jointly build a greener and prosperous future in Europe.
Achieving climate neutrality by 2050 requires a rapid paradigm shift towards the implementations of new, climate positive solutions that can boost the European market. Emerging new solutions for carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) have great potential to decarbonize production in the chemical industry, while allowing value creation from parts of its own carbon emissions.
In this context, the PYROCO2 project will demonstrate the scalability and economic viability of carbon capture and utilization (CCU) to make climate-positive acetone out of industrial CO2 and renewable electricity derived hydrogen. Core of the technology is an energy-efficient thermophilic microbial bioprocess that is projected towards significant CO2 reductions by 2050. The acetone produced by the PYROCO2 process will be demonstrated as an ideal platform for the catalytic synthesis of a range of chemicals, synthetic fuels, and recyclable polymer materials from CO2, generating a portfolio of viable business cases and pre-developed processes for replication and commercialization.
The PYROCO2 demonstrator plant will be able to produce up to 4,000 tonnes acetone annually from 9,100 tonnes of industrial CO2 and green hydrogen. It will be located at the industrial cluster of Herøya Industrial Park in southern Norway, a strategic placement that guarantees access to industrial CO2 feedstock and green energy at a competitive price and connects 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. Besides the large-scale demonstration and full financial, regulatory, and environmental assessment of the PYROCO2 technology, the project will explore the sphere of public acceptance and market exploitation to further encourage the emergence of the CCU market.
Objectives:
The PYROCO2 project will demonstrate the scalability and economic viability of carbon capture and utilization (CCU) to make climate-positive acetone, a platform chemical for many other chemicals, fuel additives, and materials. This will be realized by achieving the following specific objectives:
To design and build a demonstrator-scale chemical production plant based on industrial symbiosis that clearly shows new options for European carbon-intensive industries to create value from CO2 while reducing emissions.
To demonstrate large-scale industrial feasibility of thermophilic microbial gas fermentation to produce up o 4,000 t/a acetone from CO2 and renewable electricity as a platform for its further chemo-catalytic upgrading into a range of other commodity chemicals and materials.
To establish and promote the new chemical production platform as a more sustainable and economically viable alternative to existing fossil-feedstock based production of acetone and derivable products.
To create synergies with a wide spectrum of existing and future projects and initiatives of relevance for the Green Transition in Europe, including existing efforts for the emergence of CCUS hubs, related CCUS solutions, renewable energy, and hydrogen.
To become a key driver for the emergence of CCU Hubs across Europe so that the European chemical industry can lead the ongoing low-carbon and circular economy transitions and ensure that investment and policy needs are met to jointly build a greener and prosperous future in Europe.
During the first 18 months of the project, work in and across all of the project's eight work packages has started and in progressing according to plan.
Work package 1 (Feedstock preparation and provision) works on ensuring supply of CO2 and H2 feedstock to the PYROCO2 demonstrator plant in qualities and quantities necessary for subsequent processing and developing and preparing the industrial symbiosis and infrastructure at Herøya Industrial Park. This work package further maps the availability of industrial CO2 and renewable electricity in Europe for the PYROCO2 and other CCU technologies.
Work package 2 (From feedstock to acetone: bioprocess development & optimization) is working on optimizing the PYROCO2 two-step fermentation process to produce acetone from CO2 and upscale the bioprocess to pre-demo scale.
Work package 3 (From acetone to marketable products: chem-cat development & optimization) focuses on establishing improved chemo-catalytic processes, process integration, and intensification, with the objective to develop and demonstrate efficient and scalable processes to produce marketable products such as fuel ingredients and commodity chemicals and materials from the CO2 based acetone synthesized by the PYROCO2 bioprocess.
In work package 4 (Overall process design, industrial scale-up and demonstration), the PYROCO2 process will be upscaled from the pre-pilot scale established in Work package 2 to the final demonstrator scale. This will be realized through designing, building, commissioning, and operation of the PYROCO2 TRL 7 demonstrator plant to produce CO2-based acetone, with the corresponding downstream processing to achieve the production of liquid fuels and other chemical and material products depending on the requirement of the market.
Work package 5 (Process integration and sustainability assessment) is working on assessing the PYROCO2 value chain concept with all its process steps and possible variants and alternatives. Aim is to provide an overall design concept and based on this evaluate techno-economic, environmental, and social implications.
Work package 6 (Exploitation, Replication, Communication and Dissemination) performs all activities aiming at maximizing the impact of the project, ensuring the effective market readiness, dissemination, and exploitation of the project results.
Work package 7 (Project Management) monitors and manages the project's timelines, technical results, and resources, ensuring efficient coordination at all technical, administrative, and financial levels.
Work package 8 (Ethics requirements) sets out and follows up on the 'ethics requirements' that the project must comply with.
Work package 1 (Feedstock preparation and provision) works on ensuring supply of CO2 and H2 feedstock to the PYROCO2 demonstrator plant in qualities and quantities necessary for subsequent processing and developing and preparing the industrial symbiosis and infrastructure at Herøya Industrial Park. This work package further maps the availability of industrial CO2 and renewable electricity in Europe for the PYROCO2 and other CCU technologies.
Work package 2 (From feedstock to acetone: bioprocess development & optimization) is working on optimizing the PYROCO2 two-step fermentation process to produce acetone from CO2 and upscale the bioprocess to pre-demo scale.
Work package 3 (From acetone to marketable products: chem-cat development & optimization) focuses on establishing improved chemo-catalytic processes, process integration, and intensification, with the objective to develop and demonstrate efficient and scalable processes to produce marketable products such as fuel ingredients and commodity chemicals and materials from the CO2 based acetone synthesized by the PYROCO2 bioprocess.
In work package 4 (Overall process design, industrial scale-up and demonstration), the PYROCO2 process will be upscaled from the pre-pilot scale established in Work package 2 to the final demonstrator scale. This will be realized through designing, building, commissioning, and operation of the PYROCO2 TRL 7 demonstrator plant to produce CO2-based acetone, with the corresponding downstream processing to achieve the production of liquid fuels and other chemical and material products depending on the requirement of the market.
Work package 5 (Process integration and sustainability assessment) is working on assessing the PYROCO2 value chain concept with all its process steps and possible variants and alternatives. Aim is to provide an overall design concept and based on this evaluate techno-economic, environmental, and social implications.
Work package 6 (Exploitation, Replication, Communication and Dissemination) performs all activities aiming at maximizing the impact of the project, ensuring the effective market readiness, dissemination, and exploitation of the project results.
Work package 7 (Project Management) monitors and manages the project's timelines, technical results, and resources, ensuring efficient coordination at all technical, administrative, and financial levels.
Work package 8 (Ethics requirements) sets out and follows up on the 'ethics requirements' that the project must comply with.
The expected key outcomes of the PYROCO2 project and the impacts beyond the end of the project include:
Establishment of an industrial scale demonstrator operational by 2026 based on industrial symbiosis that will interconnect multiple sectors, such as medical and technical gas, fertilizer, cement, metallurgy, hydrogen, chemicals, polymers/materials sectors, and synthetic fuels.
Providing significant reduction of industrial CO2 emissions through a highly efficient acetone production process, which is expected to reduce CO2eq emissions by about the 50% compared to conventional acetone production.
Contribution to accelerate the transition of the EU chemical industry towards climate neutrality by providing an innovative, affordable, and clean process for producing platform chemicals, as well as a portfolio of commodity products.
Demonstration of the industrial feasibility and cost effectiveness of the production of up to 4,000 tons per annum of acetone via the PYROCO2 process that will pave the way for the economically sound replication and further upscaling of the PYROCO2 process elsewhere in Europe.
Contribution to the strategy adopted by EU for mitigating the excess of air pollution and therefore preserving the health of EU citizens.
Establishment of an industrial scale demonstrator operational by 2026 based on industrial symbiosis that will interconnect multiple sectors, such as medical and technical gas, fertilizer, cement, metallurgy, hydrogen, chemicals, polymers/materials sectors, and synthetic fuels.
Providing significant reduction of industrial CO2 emissions through a highly efficient acetone production process, which is expected to reduce CO2eq emissions by about the 50% compared to conventional acetone production.
Contribution to accelerate the transition of the EU chemical industry towards climate neutrality by providing an innovative, affordable, and clean process for producing platform chemicals, as well as a portfolio of commodity products.
Demonstration of the industrial feasibility and cost effectiveness of the production of up to 4,000 tons per annum of acetone via the PYROCO2 process that will pave the way for the economically sound replication and further upscaling of the PYROCO2 process elsewhere in Europe.
Contribution to the strategy adopted by EU for mitigating the excess of air pollution and therefore preserving the health of EU citizens.