Imagine a machine that sucks up pollution from the air and turns it into the raw material used to make plastic bottles and bags. Instead of using oil, it uses captured CO2 and green hydrogen. It works like a high-tech filter that cleans and converts the gas in one single step.
Current ethylene production is unsustainable and releases significant CO2. There is a lack of efficient, single-step methods to convert captured CO2 into high-purity ethylene for plastic production.
A prototype catalytic membrane reactor utilizing nanostructured tandem catalysts and nanocomposite membranes for CO2-to-ethylene conversion.
If you are an ethylene producer dealing with high CO2 emissions from traditional steam cracking — this project developed a membrane reactor that converts captured CO2 into ethylene. This allows for the production of carbon-negative plastic precursors.
If you are a plastic manufacturer dealing with pressure to reduce your carbon footprint — this project developed a way to create e-Plastic. This enables the production of renewable, carbon-negative plastics from anthropogenic CO2.
If you are a carbon capture operator dealing with the challenge of turning captured gas into a profitable product — this project developed tandem catalysts and membranes that turn CO2 into high-value ethylene.
Based on available project data, specific cost figures for implementation are not provided as the project is currently in the proof-of-concept stage.
The project is currently developing a prototype membrane reactor to deliver a proof-of-concept; it is not yet at industrial scale.
The project explicitly includes the protection of intellectual property as one of its key objectives to maximize impact.
The project runs from 2024-05-01 to 2028-04-30, suggesting that a validated prototype will be available by early 2028.
It aims to replace current multi-step conversion pathways with a single integrated membrane reactor for more efficient production.
The consortium consists of 7 partners across 6 countries, showing a strong European academic and research base with 4 universities and 2 research centers. While the industry ratio is low at 14% (1 company), the inclusion of an SME suggests a pathway for technology transfer from the lab to a commercial entity.
Contact the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory in Portugal.
Contact us to track the development of this carbon-negative plastic technology.
