BASF, bse Engineering Team Up to Transform CO2, Excess Current Into Valuable Raw Materials

BASF  and  BSE  Engineering  have signed an exclusive joint development agreement for BASF to provide custom catalysts for a new chemical energy storage process. The process will enable the economically viable transformation of excess current and off-gas carbon dioxide into methanol in small-scale delocalized production units.

Ved generering av nuværende fra  vedvarende energikilder , overskydende strøm er genereret når forbrugernes efterspørgsel er lav. Den økonomiske viability of renewable energy sources to produce electricity is dependent on the effective use of this excess current, but solutions to do so have largely been lacking.

The new process developed by BS Engineering enables the sustainable use of excess current and CO2 from industrial production plants with small-scale, delocalized production units built where the two components are generated, ie near power plants using renewable sources of energy as well as large- scale industrial plants producing CO2. The excess current will be used to  produce hydrogen  through discontinuous electrolysis. In een tweede stap, deze hydrogen, in combinatie met CO2 off-stream gas, zal worden gebruikt om methanol te produceren - een van de belangrijkste basis chemicaliën die in een verscheidenheid van industriële toepassingen worden gebruikt. Det er under denne anden proces, at BASF's katalysatorer vil blive anvendt.

“We are pleased to participate in this exciting endeavor and to contribute significantly to a concrete solution for the use of excess current and CO2 as a raw material,” said Adrian Steinmetz, VP of Chemical Catalysts at BASF. “We will leverage our know-how and expertise in catalysis in the service of advancing a sustainable answer for the transition to new energy sources and the material use of CO2.”

“After four years of developing the global process concept, we are now ready to enter the licensing phase of this process, with construction of the first plants starting soon,” said Christian Schweitzer, Managing Director of bse Engineering. “The implementation of these projects is ensured with international branch leaders of the respective process units and part-services over a reliable consortium consisting of Aker Solutions ASA, Sulzer Chemtech AG, InfraServ GmbH & Co. Knapsack KG, led by bse Engineering. We are very proud to work on the key technology catalysts with an experienced and innovative industry leader like BASF to make our vision a reality.”

An original version of this article was published on  www.SustainableBrands.com . Learn more about how BASF is leading brand-led sustainability innovation at SB's upcoming conference, SB'17 Copenhagen .