Electrons to high value Chemical products | 2 Mers Seas Zeeën

E2C

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Electrons to high value Chemical products

Priority Axis

Technological and Social Innovation

Specific objective

Technological Innovation

Lead partner

Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research

Begindatum

01/07/2018

Einddatum

30/06/2022

Project budget

7 184 812

ERDF amount

4 310 887

ERDF rate

60%

    Over

    Common challenge

    The coastal areas of the 2 Seas region combine (future) availability of renewable energy with strong industrial activity. This leads to the common challenge of handling renewable energy surpluses, diversifying feedstocks in the chemical industry, reducing greenhouse gas emissions in energy intensive industry, and meeting societal and regulatory demands on advanced fuels and sustainable chemicals. "Power-to-X” concepts, using (renewable) electricity as a replacement for oil and gas energy sources in the production of chemical products, allow for the combination of a solution to these challenges with the creation of valuable products. However, several technical and economic hurdles still need to be overcome. These are related to the cost of renewable hydrogen, the technological immaturity of novel electrochemical processes, and the need for demonstrators and business case calculations to convince industry to invest in further development and implementation of these technologies. 

    Main Achievements

    The E2C project has advanced in 2020 at a different pace than planned, mainly due to the travel restrictions and lockdowns throughout the year becuase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under these conditions, the project partners have showed a high degree of flexibility and creativity in their work which kept the project advancing.

    In spite of the difficult situation, the project achieved important results and progress was made in the course of the year on different aspects:

    • technology: the developement of new materials, the design and construction of setups with unique functionality
    • communication: stakeholder events and observer partner events were organized online and generated large interest (more than 70 participants), newsletters published
    • dissemination: several peer reviewed papers have been published in 2020 containing the results of the project, dissemination of the results through the Voltachem community
    • cooperation within the project: the partners are codeveloping technologies and projects and cooperations are defined beyond the project.

    The project achieved important results in 2020, moving the P-to-X technologies beyond the state of the art in both the direct electrolysis of CO2 through the cooperation between University of Antewrp, TNO, VITO and Delft University of Technology as well as in the water electrolysis through the cooperation between TNO, University of Exeter and Lille University. The advancement of the SEDMES technology was a concerted efforted mainly between TNO and Lille University. A sophisicated predictive model for electrolysis was created as a result of the project by Lille University with input from the rest of the project partners and it will be validated in the coming period. The engagement of the external stakeholders through communication events was coordinated by The University of Sheffield and TNO. Delft University of Technology together with TNO have developed business case analysis for the technologies in E2C under different scenarios.

    Partnership

    Partners

    Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands

    Flemish Institute for Technological Research

    Technical University Delft

    University of Antwerp

    University of Exeter

    University of Lille- 1 sciences and Technologies

    University of Sheffield

    Outputs

    Output title
    Type
    Target
    URL / Download
    15/12/2022

    E2C

    Thema: Technological innovationEnergy
    Type: Pilot and demonstration action
    Target: Energy suppliers
    30/04/2021

    E2C

    Thema: Technological innovationEnergy
    Type: Pilot and demonstration action
    Target: Energy suppliers
    30/09/2020

    E2C

    Thema: Technological innovationEnergy
    Type: Pilot and demonstration action
    Target: Energy suppliers