Project description
Solar-driven artificial photosynthesis for chemical industries
Chemical industries require assistance integrating renewable energy sources into their processes. The EU-funded PHOTOSINT project aims to produce hydrogen and methanol sustainably using only sunlight, wastewater and CO2. The process relies on solar-driven artificial photosynthesis, incorporating new catalytic materials developed to enhance efficiency. PHOTOSINT aims to maximise energy efficiency by concentrating and illuminating the semiconductor surface to improve conversion rates for industrial use. It also seeks to integrate perovskite solar photovoltaic cells to supply external electrical voltage. PHOTOSINT’s will assess the feasibility of scaling up renewable energy technologies, utilising methanol and hydrogen in engines, employing an high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell for electricity generation, and using hydrogen as an alternative fuel in melting furnaces, to reduce CO2 emissions.
Objective
The PHOTOSINT project presents solutions to the challenges chemical industries are facing in integrating renewable energy sources into their processes. The project will deliver sustainable processes to produce hydrogen and methanol as energy vectors using only sunlight as an energy source and wastewater and CO2 as feedstocks, making the industries more auto-sufficient. The pathway is based on solar-driven artificial photosynthesis, and aims to develop new catalytic earth-abundant materials and modifications of existing ones to improve catalytic processes. Design parameters of the PEC cell will be tuned to maximize solar to fuel (STF) efficiency. Moreover to improve the conversion for industrial implementation, PHOTOSINT will develop a novel way to concentrate and illuminate the semiconductor surface to maximize overall energy efficiency. Perovskite solar PV cells will be integrated to harvest the light to supply the external electrical voltage.
PHOTOSINT is an ambitious project due to precedents in research conducted to date and the low production rate of the desired products. For integrating sunlight energy into the industry, the catalyst will be studied, and then the best one/s will be implemented in prototypes. The obtained results will be used for making scale-up in pilots with tandem PEC cells. These steps are necessary to assess the industrial scale-up feasibility, promoting the increased competitiveness of renewable process energy technologies and energy independence. MeOH and H2 will be tested in engines. Also, an HTPEM fuel cell will be used for electricity generation, and hydrogen will be tested as an alternative fuel for energy generation instead natural gas in melting furnaces avoiding CO2 emissions.
Fields of science
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringwater treatment processeswastewater treatment processes
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectrical engineeringpower engineeringelectric power generation
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsfossil energynatural gas
- natural scienceschemical sciencesorganic chemistryalcohols
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsfuel cells
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation ActionsCoordinator
41300 LA RINCONADA SEVILLA
Spain