The Netherlands – TU Delft and TNO have laid the groundwork for more environmentally friendly chemical manufacturing processes. In the new e-Chem partnership, a clean factory of the future is actually being built.
It is expected that our society will be carbon-neutral by 2050, in accordance with the Paris Climate Agreement of 2015. We can’t get there without a major overhaul of the chemical sector. Carbon dioxide (CO2) can be absorbed from the atmosphere and used as a raw material for the production of various products such as plastics and fuels. E-Refinery (TU Delft) and Voltachem (TNO), two large-scale research programs in the field of electrifying the chemical industry, are joining forces in the e-Chem program to accelerate the process of making the chemical industry more sustainable.
Relying on renewables
As part of e-research Refinery’s into materials, processes, and reactors, TU Delft has gained experience in a wide range of length scales, from atomic to reactor. Applied testing and subjects like life cycle analysis and business models are among TNO’s many areas of expertise. Together, the two parties hope to demonstrate the viability of this technology within a few years by pooling their resources and combining their expertise.
E-Chem emerged from a desire to speed up the transition from a chemical industry that relies on fossil fuels to one that relies on renewable energy and CO2 emissions.
