DNV, an international leader in services for managing risk, has developed a process to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) into useful products. Results suggest that its electrochemical conversion process could be a commercially viable technology in the future.
“This is part of DNV’s ongoing commitment to research & innovation and its vision to make a global impact for a sustainable future,” said DNV’s COO Bjorn K. Haugland at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi today. “Global regulation of CO2 emissions is a looming concern for industries that depend on fossil energy sources. Solutions to reduce dependence on fossil fuels are available today, but each is only part of the solution. CO2 is at the root of the problem.”
DNV has been working on the challenge of carbon dioxide utilisation for over three years under the premise that CO2 can be a “resource rather than a liability” according to DNV Research & Innovation Director Narasi Sridhar,
“We have invested in resources and tools to analyse the CO2 value chain using electrochemical conversion as a case study. Our research demonstrates the conversion of CO2 into formic acid. This requires less energy per ton of CO2 than most other electrochemical conversion pathways. Also, formic acid is in demand and can also be used as chemical feedstock, steel pickling, antibacterial agents, energy storage medium, and deicing solutions,” explained Dr. Sridhar.
“Emission reductions can be accomplished with multiple technologies in an emission stabilization wedge strategy. Utilisation is one wedge among many that will enable a useful future for CO2 and simultaneously address energy and climate concerns,” added Dr. Gerry Koch DNV’s Business Development Manager.
As part of its research, DNV has assembled a demonstration reactor in a solar-powered trailer. In the process, formic acid is produced from CO2 renewably, which not only utilizes CO2 but avoids CO2 emissions compared to the conventional process, while providing value added product streams. While this process generates formic acid, the process can be tuned to generate carbon monoxide, another valuable chemical feedstock according to Dr Sridhar.
“We have improved catalysts, reduced cell voltages, constructed a CO2 value chain model, examined energy and CO2 balances, modeled a scale process, and performed financial and profitability analyses for the process,” pointed out Dr. Sridhar and added, “Our research is broader than just electrochemical processes. Any CO2 utilisation process will require energy and consumables, and DNV is paving the way for technological services that assure a useful future for CO2.”
Dr. Sridhar firmly believes that CO2 utilisation will make a “positive impact in the future for refineries, steel mills, cement and asphalt production, manufacturing, and even shipping …we are therefore seeking progressive partners to bring CO2 utilisation to maturity.”
“It is part of our continuing legacy of technical research and a key component of our focus on safeguarding life, property and the environment,” said Mr Haugland and concluded, “This research demonstrates just one of the many ways that DNV remains committed to managing risks today, tomorrow, and well into the future.”