What tasks does the "Coordination and Communication" subproject perform at Carbon2Chem^®?

Torsten Müller: Our main focus is on supporting the coordinators of the joint research project: Prof. Robert Schlögl, Prof. Görge Deerberg and Dr. Markus Oles. In addition, we act as an interface both internally and externally. On the one hand, this means ensuring transparency within the consortium, between the consortium and the overall coordination, between the subprojects, and also between the individual partners. On the other hand, it means communicating our results and expertise to the outside world. We do this, for example, at our annual Conference on Sustainable Chemical Conversion in Industry or in our workshop series "Every day for future". In addition, we regularly publish the current status of our research in special issues of the journal CIT – Chemie Ingenieur Technik. Last but not least, we comment on current issues relating to carbon management and carbon capture and utilization (CCU). 

Has the focus changed with the transition to the third phase of Carbon2Chem^® ?

Torsten Müller: Not really, in terms of our work in the "Coordination and Communication" subproject. But the focus has naturally shifted in terms of content: The second phase of Carbon2Chem^® was primarily about scaling and transferring the CCU solutions we developed. In the third phase, we are specifically addressing the issue of industrial implementation and, in addition to the steel industry, we are also looking at other sectors, such as waste management and lime production.

Applied to the subproject, this means that we are preparing new information for external communication. Of course, the new project partners who joined in the third phase – including the FernUniversität in Hagen – also play a major role here. These partners must be integrated into internal processes. At the same time, their expertise and content must also be incorporated into external communication. Specifically, in this third phase, we will take a closer look at the regulatory area and add new topics related to the implementation of CCU solutions with the help of legal and social sciences.
 

Why do social sciences play a greater role in phase three?

Torsten Müller: In the first two phases of Carbon2Chem^®, we found that there is a huge discrepancy between our knowledge of carbon management and CCU and what is known in society. Of course, this is not entirely irrelevant, especially with regard to the acceptance of new technologies for carbon recycling. That is why one focus of our work will be on developing communication formats that will enable us to better engage and involve people in the industrial transformation.
 

What are the most important results from over eight years of research and development so far? And how have these findings been communicated to the outside world?

Torsten Müller: We have developed an overall overview: How does CCU fit into the broader topic of carbon management? We have developed methods and tools for the industry- and location-specific development and evaluation of concepts for CCU applications. Methods for the systemic analysis of CCU processes and products have also been developed. We have demonstrated the suitability of commercially available catalysts and processes and gained important insights into CO₂ capture and processing. Additionally, we have built and operated various annexes on different scales. One example is a demonstration plant for sustainable methanol production.

We have presented these results in detail in the previously mentioned CIT journal. For a wider audience, we have fed the results into an interactive theme table. This has been used at various events and offers the opportunity to approach the topic in a less detailed but more playful way. We have also shot various videos about our plants and made them available on our website. We also presented the results achieved in detail at our major conferences in 2020 and 2024.

In addition, part of our research results has been incorporated into the traveling exhibition "Power2Change". It is aimed at the general public and explores what the path to a climate-neutral future could look like.
 

The sustainable production of methanol is the focus of the third phase, with a view to the end products. At the start of Carbon2Chem^®, other process routes were also investigated. What became of them?

Torsten Müller: In the first two phases of Carbon2Chem^®, there were subprojects on higher alcohols, polymers, urea and oxymethylene ether. We worked on and evaluated all of them, but did not pursue them further for various reasons. In some cases, the appropriate partners from industry were missing, and in others, implementation is not economically feasible under the current conditions. 

What are the chances of CCU technologies being implemented in industry at the moment?

Torsten Müller: There are different levels. On the one hand, there is a desire to move away from fossil carbon sources. And CCU is simply an integral part of carbon management, in which carbon is recycled and can replace fossil carbon. On the other hand, CCU processes only work with additional renewable energy: the carbon must be separated from exhaust gases and then purified for further use. Furthermore, no CCU solution is currently recognized by regulations.

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) has a better standing in this respect: the costs for cleaning CO₂ are also incurred, but it is recognized as CO₂ emission avoidance within the framework of emissions trading. In other words, if I, as a company that produces CO₂, can prove that I store the gas and do not emit it, this is counted as emission avoidance.

In summary, it can be said that there is currently no economic basis for companies to make the investment decision to focus on CCU.
 

But for companies interested in CO₂ recycling, Carbon2Chem^® has demonstrated: The concepts and technologies developed work!

Torsten Müller: Exactly. Görge Deerberg said it at our 2024 conference: The methanol produced in Carbon2Chem^® is just as good as the stuff you buy in a bottle. And part of our work in phase three is aimed at proving exactly that.

So far, we have primarily used the sustainably produced methanol internally for projects, for example as a CO₂ neutral and emission-free fuel for the eMethanol car. Now we want to move forward with implementation in other areas and prove that our methanol is of the same quality as methanol based on natural gas. The first step is collaboration with the Power2Polymers project, where our methanol is first processed into paraformaldehyde and then into innovative polyols, which in turn form the basis for adhesives, coating materials, lubricants, and sealants.