Imagine a device that works like a leaf, but instead of making sugar, it makes liquid fuel. It takes sunlight, water, and CO2 from the air and turns them into energy-rich liquids. This process happens in a modular system that can be easily expanded or recycled, similar to stacking Lego bricks.
Current artificial photosynthesis systems are too expensive, inefficient, and rely on toxic materials, making them impractical for industrial-scale fuel production.
A modular full-cell continuous flow microreactor that converts sunlight, water, and CO2 into methanol and formate.
If you are a chemical plant dealing with high CO2 emissions — this project developed a modular microreactor that converts those emissions into methanol. This allows you to create a closed carbon cycle and turn waste into a usable fuel source.
If you are an energy provider dealing with the need for local, green fuel production — this project developed a scalable photoelectrocatalysis platform. It enables the production of solar fuels on-site using only sunlight and water.
If you are a fuel supplier dealing with the transition to carbon-neutral transport — this project developed a way to produce methanol and formate. These solar fuels can power cars and transportation systems without relying on fossil fuels.
The project aims to avoid costly competing systems by eliminating the use of expensive, toxic, or critical raw materials. Based on available project data, the goal is to make solar fuel production affordable.
Yes, the system uses a modular design. Capacity can be increased by either increasing the size of the microfluidic device or by numbering up the PEC modules.
Based on available project data, the project is currently in the development phase (2023-2027) and specific licensing terms have not been disclosed.
The technology is designed to operate at room temperature and neutral pH using simple aqueous solutions, avoiding toxic solvents.
The project period runs from 2023-10-01 to 2027-09-30, aiming to reach a proof of concept at TRL5 by the end of the term.
The consortium is well-balanced for technology transfer, consisting of 10 partners across 7 countries. With a 20% industry ratio (including 2 SMEs), the project blends high-level academic research from 5 universities and 3 research organizations with practical industrial validation and life cycle assessment.
Fraunhofer Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Angewandten Forschung e.V.
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