urban WAste and water Treatment Emission Reduction by utilizing CO2 for the PROduction Of Formate derived chemicals

Project Information

WaterProof

Grant agreement ID: 101058578

DOI

10.3030/101058578

EC signature date 16 May 2022

Start date 1 June 2022

End date 30 November 2026

Funded under

• Digital, Industry and Space

Total cost

€ 9 219 914,00

EU contribution

€ 9 219 914,00

Coordinated by

AVANTIUM CHEMICALS BV
Netherlands

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - WaterProof (urban WAste and water Treatment Emission Reduction by utilizing CO2 for the PROduction Of Formate derived chemicals)

Reporting period: 2023-12-01 to 2025-05-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The WaterProof project aims at developing an electrochemical process that converts CO2 emission captured from consumer waste incineration and wastewater treatment facilities into formic acid to be used in valuable green consumer products such as cleaning detergents and the tanning of fish leather apparel. Additional products of the electrochemical process are peroxides that can be applied to remove pharmaceuticals and pesticides from wastewater. Furthermore, formic acid is used for the generation of acidic deep eutectic solvents (ADES), that can be applied to recover precious metals from wastewater sludge and incineration ashes. As the electrochemical process uses renewable energy, it contributes to a clean water cycle with zero-emission.
WaterProof enables the closing of the waste(water) carbon loop and the shift from fossil to renewable carbon sources. It hereby supports the transition towards a climate-neutral Europe and an effective and truly circular economy.

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

During the second reporting period, the WaterProof project concentrated on three key technical areas: the electrochemical conversion of CO2 to formic acid, the development of a gas diffusion electrode, and the optimization of the electrochemical salt-splitting process. Notable achievements include the successful lab-scale demonstration of high-efficiency formic acid production, the development of a stable electrocatalyst, and the refinement of the gas diffusion electrode for industrial-scale application. Additionally, we successfully replaced our engineering partner and received the finalized engineering design. A new partner has also joined the Consortium and will soon begin work on the construction of the demonstration unit.

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)

Further research and development is needed to improve and scale the WaterProof technology. We have another 1/3 of the project to prove the principle and to reach the objectives.