The project has achieved a significant milestone in the development of e-fuels by validating critical steps in the production process. This advancement brings the E-TANDEM goal of a novel sustainable e-fuel production closer and closer!.
The milestone focuses on validating individual elementary steps, including:
- CO2 Electrocatalytic Conversion: Using co-electrolysis of CO2/H2O feeds to create e-syngas.
- Tandem Thermocatalytic Conversion: Transforming the resulting e-syngas into higher alcohols and ethers.
- Catalyst Recovery: Separating and recovering molecular (soluble) catalysts from the liquid product mixture.
The results also brought valuable insights into the functional materials involved. These include cathode catalyst layers for co-electrolyzers, solid Fischer-Tropsch catalysts, and molecular reductive hydroformylation catalysts for e-syngas conversion. Combined with optimized process conditions, this progress lays the groundwork for integrating these steps into a continuously operated miniplant for e-syngas conversion.
The miniplant is currently undergoing safety assessments and commissioning, marking an exciting step toward scaling up the production of e-fuels.
Stay tuned for further updates as our E-TANDEM technology progresses!