Descrizione del progetto
La fotosintesi artificiale a energia solare per l’industria chimica
Le industrie chimiche hanno bisogno di supporto per integrare con successo le fonti di energia rinnovabile nei loro processi. Il progetto PHOTOSINT, finanziato dall’UE, si prefigge di produrre idrogeno e metanolo in modo sostenibile avvalendosi solamente di luce solare, acque reflue e CO2. Il processo ideato, che si basa sulla fotosintesi artificiale a energia solare, incorpora nuovi materiali catalitici sviluppati per incrementare l’efficienza. PHOTOSINT mira a massimizzare l’efficienza energetica concentrando e illuminando la superficie del semiconduttore, con l’obiettivo di ottimizzare i tassi di conversione ai fini dell’utilizzo industriale. Il progetto punta inoltre all’integrazione di celle solari fotovoltaiche in perovskite per fornire tensione elettrica esterna. PHOTOSINT valuterà la fattibilità di varie soluzioni intese a ridurre le emissioni di CO2, quali lo sviluppo di tecnologie per le energie rinnovabili, l’utilizzo di metanolo e idrogeno nei motori, l’impiego di una cella a combustibile con membrana a scambio protonico ad alta temperatura per la generazione di energia elettrica e l’uso dell’idrogeno come combustibile alternativo nei forni di fusione.
Obiettivo
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.
Campo scientifico
- 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
Parole chiave
Programma(i)
Argomento(i)
Meccanismo di finanziamento
HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation ActionsCoordinatore
41300 LA RINCONADA SEVILLA
Spagna