Periodic Reporting for period 1 - e-CODUCT (Fast-response Electrically heated catalytic reactor technology for CO2 reDUCTion)
Reporting period: 2022-09-01 to 2024-02-29
e-CODUCT tackles the environmental challenge of reducing greenhouse gas and acid gases. Building on successful projects and an interdisciplinary approach, e-CODUCT aims to develop a working pilot plant with an electrothermal catalytic reactor powered by renewable energy sources to produce industrially valuable carbon monoxide (CO) and sulphur (S) from carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen sulphide (H2S) and to further apply the process in fluid catalytic cracking, steam cracking and dehydrogenation.
Current technologies have no solution to the challenge of CO2 conversion, which lies in the composition of streams containing other acid gases (e.g. H2S), and the economic and environmental inefficiency of reactors. The ultimate goal is to develop a breakthrough technology that enables the simultaneous reduction of CO2 and H2S for the production of marketable green end products in the form of fuels and useful chemicals (CO, S and CH₃OH).
Current technologies have no solution to the challenge of CO2 conversion, which lies in the composition of streams containing other acid gases (e.g. H2S), and the economic and environmental inefficiency of reactors. The ultimate goal is to develop a breakthrough technology that enables the simultaneous reduction of CO2 and H2S for the production of marketable green end products in the form of fuels and useful chemicals (CO, S and CH₃OH).
Catalytic tests have been carried out. Different binder sources for the catalyst have been selected. The design of the reactor is completed and the feasibility of the ETFB reactor prototype has been demonstrated. COS decomposition selectively to CO and S was proved experimentally.
The first version of P&ID for the integrated pilot was consolidated and used for a HAZOP study, which would serve as a basis for safe operation and global e-CODUCT HSE analysis. Following this, the consortium realised a preliminary HAZOP for the pilot. In the meantime, a mass and energy balance sheet of core e-CODUCT technology, with a black box diagram model was delivered and shared among the partners. A first version of TEA and LCA models, an industrial planning tool were developed. Finally, an initial report on the regulatory framework was delivered. In terms of dissemination, e-CODUCT has a website and a Linkedin account with regular updates. We organised a workshop, “The Electric Decade”, in collaboration with sister projects.
The first version of P&ID for the integrated pilot was consolidated and used for a HAZOP study, which would serve as a basis for safe operation and global e-CODUCT HSE analysis. Following this, the consortium realised a preliminary HAZOP for the pilot. In the meantime, a mass and energy balance sheet of core e-CODUCT technology, with a black box diagram model was delivered and shared among the partners. A first version of TEA and LCA models, an industrial planning tool were developed. Finally, an initial report on the regulatory framework was delivered. In terms of dissemination, e-CODUCT has a website and a Linkedin account with regular updates. We organised a workshop, “The Electric Decade”, in collaboration with sister projects.
e-CODUCT is still in line with its objectives. The demonstrator should be smaller than the Claus process. The CO2 emissions should be decreased thanks to the specificity of the reactions. This will be a first-of-a-kind electrified process for CO2 conversion into platform molecules with techno-economic and environmental feasibility and scalability.