From energy generation and conversion to alternative fuels, from hydrogen technology to chemical and thermal storage, from energy recovery to energy efficiency
The BMBF-funded research and development programme ‘Technologies for Sustainability and Climate Protection – Chemical Processes and Use of CO2’ ran from 2010 to the end of 2016 and covered the following main areas: ‘Using CO2 as a feedstock for the chemical industry’, ‘Chemical energy storage’ and ‘Energy-efficient processes’. Each of these main areas is accompanied in this final report by a review article that pro-vides a comprehensive overview of the topic. The 33 projects that received funding have been classified into these three main areas or clusters. A short article has been provided for each research project and focuses on presenting the central results of the project. In the ‘Energy-efficient processes’ cluster, the review article, which covers the subject of carbon capture, serves as an example of the very diverse range of projects grouped in this part of the report.
For climate protection in the global raw materials change - Position paper of the ProcessNet Working Group “Alternative Liquid and Gaseous Fuels”
Carbon4PUR project explores industrial symbiosis between steel and chemical industry to produce polymer foams and coatings from steel off-gases Flue gases from steel manufacturing contain a mixture of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, valuable feedstock gases for chemical production. Manufacturing high value polyurethane materials from these flue gases to is the ambition of Carbon4PUR, a 7.8 Mill. Euro Horizon2020 project with 14 partners from 8 countries, coordinated by Covestro. The unique Carbon4PUR technology will valorise steel off-gas without previous cleaning or separation of the gas components. This flexible and energy efficient technology will allow a reduction of the CO2 footprint of polyurethane production by 20-60% and substitution of at least 15% of the oil-based reactants by waste-gas based carbon. A collaboration between value chain partners and experts The Carbon4PUR consortium comprises industrial partners along the entire value chain. Flue gas is provided by steel manufacturer Arcelor Mittal to feed the production of polyurethane intermediates at Covestro. Polyurethane manufacturers Recticel N.V. in Belgium and Megara Resins S.A. in Greece are involved as downstream producers, testing the intermediates for the manufacturing of rigid foams and polymer dispersions. The Port of Marseille Fos, an industrial production site for both Covestro and ArcelorMittal, is the model site for which the industrial symbiosis concept will be evaluated. Leading European research and technology support partners are involved to further develop and evaluate the Carbon4PUR technology: the French Atomic Energy and Alternative Energies Commission and RWTH Aachen University for process design and catalyst development; Ghent University for flue gas treatment; Leiden University and TU Berlin for life cycle and techno-economic assessment;; sustainability solutions provider South Pole Group for investigating social impacts and mechanisms for market uptake; and PNO Consultants for value chain and stakeholder analysis. DECHEMA will provide mapping and assessment of potential replication sites for the technology, together with Imperial College in London, and is responsible for dissemination and communication.
The present White Paper „Modular Plants“ was developed in the temporary ProcessNet working group „Modular Systems“ in a close cooperation between industry and research institutions. It provides the current state of the joint efforts to improve the modularisation of plant technology in the chemical industry. The paper calls for a standardization of the nomenclature for modular production concepts to provide the basis for a wide industrial application of the technology. It points out obstacles but also possible development paths of modularisation and weighs its strengths against risks. Furthermore, research needs and funding actions are identified that are necessary for the further implementation of modular system concepts. A translation of the text into German is planned and publication should be done at the same place.
VOLATILE is a large scale project in the frame of Horizon 2020 involving 21 industry and research partners from nine European countries.
The project’s intention is to develop a Volatile Fatty Acids Platform (VFAP) for the economic utilization of municipal as well as industrial biowaste. Fatty acids will continuously be recovered from anaerobic digestion processes applying membrane technology and will be provided for value added fermentation approaches:
The evolvement of the new value-added chains will be supported by findings of executed case studies and market analyses. Furthermore, the processes will be optimized applying agent-based modeling. To ensure environmentally friendly and economical reasonable process design, VOLATILE additionally will be accompanied by a life cycle assessment (LCA) and an economic feasibility study. Business cases will be developed and a CEN workshop will support standardization on “Sustainable use of municipal solid and sludgy biowaste for added value biomolecules for industrial application”.
Das Kopernikus-Projekt P2X: Erforschung, Validierung und Implementierung von Power-to-X-Konzepten ist eines von vier vom BMBF geförderten Kopernikus-Projekten zur Energiewende. In den nächsten zehn Jahren sollen Technologien erforscht und entwickelt werden, die zur effizienten Speicherung und Nutzung von elektrischer Energie aus erneuerbaren Energiequellen durch Umwandlung in stoffliche Energieträger und chemische Produkte mit hoher Wertschöpfung dienen können. Durch die Verwendung von CO2 aus Abgasen kann zudem der Einsatz von fossilen Brennstoffen reduziert werden. P2X leistet somit einen wichtigen Beitrag zur Dekarbonisierung und zum Umbau der Energiesysteme als Teil der Energiewende.
What is the role of Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) in industrial water management? This question is answered by the ProcessNet Expert Group “Production-Integrated Water/Waste Water Technology”, in cooperation with the DGMT-DME “Committee Water Future” (AWZ) in their discussion paper. Experts warn about excessive expectations in ZLD related to economical and ecological perspectives. Pros and cons are listed in the discussion paper and decision paths are outlined for industrial application.
Energy storage systems for the energy transition: Position Paper of the Joint Working group on Chemical Energy Research. Fundamental research for new storage technologies, a data base for the economic evaluation and an integrated system including electricity, heat and mobility are required in order to implement the energy transition successfully. A comprehensive article supplementing the position paper has been published in Chemie Ingenieur Technik (access via http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cite.201400183/pdf).
The Technology Roadmap "Energy and GHG Reductions in the Chemical Industry via Catalytic Processes" explores how the chemicals sector can harness catalysis and other related technology advances to improve on energy efficiency in its production processes. Furthermore, it evaluates how continuous improvements and breakthrough technology options can affect energy use and reduce greenhouse gas emission rates in the chemical sector. Measures from policy makers, investors, academia and the sector to facilitate developments in catalytic technology and implement its potential around the globe are also described. The roadmap has been jointly developed by the International Energy Agency (IEA), the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) and DECHEMA to demonstrate the role catalytic processes can play to improve the chemicals sector's energy and GHG emissions intensity.