The majority (>95%) of all carbon used to produce materials, chemicals and energy products comes from fossil sources, primarily oil and natural gas. This is not environmentally sustainable. In the future, we will have to transition to renewable carbon sources, and biomass, recycled carbon-containing materials and CO2 will all be needed.
The use of captured CO2, together with carbon capture and storage (CCS), will have a positive climate effect. Calculations show that by reusing CO2 just one time can result in reducing total CO2 emissions by 50%. In addition, CCU will provide an economic benefit for industries that emit CO2 by enabling the production of valuable products rather than incurring costs associated with storage.
The vast majority of materials contain carbon, including salicylic acid, a main ingredient in painkillers, and chemical urea, which is used in fertiliser production. Methanol, which is used either as fuel or as the main source of several chemicals and polymers, can also be made from CO2. Metal carbonates, which can be used in cement and concrete, can be made by allowing CO2 to react with minerals containing metal oxides.
At SINTEF, we conduct research into all types of CCU processes, where we seek to reduce energy use, developing more efficient and scalable processes, and discovering routes to new products from CO2. The goal is to ensure the highest possible product yield, utilise secondary raw materials (waste and by-products), and facilitate sustainable carbon management in Norway and the world.
We work in these areas:
- Development of new and improved catalysts for thermal and electrochemical CO2 conversion
- Development of robust and productive microorganisms as biocatalysts in gas fermentation processes for various products
- Development of processes for CO2 mineralisation and application
Typical assignments for us:
- Catalyst development and testing
- New chemistry and improved processes
- Biotechnological optimisation of bacterial strains and process conditions for gas fermentation
We do this for:
- Process industries that emit CO2
- Chemical and fuel producers
- CCU technology providers
