Siemens Energy Global GmbH & Co. KG, Germany - www.siemens-energy.com
Siemens Energy is one of the world’s leading energy technology companies. The company works with its customers and partners on energy systems for the future, thus supporting the transition to a more sustainable world. With its portfolio of products, solutions and services, Siemens Energy covers almost the entire energy value chain – from power generation and transmission to storage.
The portfolio includes conventional and renewable energy technology, such as gas and steam turbines, hybrid power plants operated with hydrogen, and power generators and transformers. More than 50 percent of the portfolio has already been decarbonized. A majority stake in the listed company Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) makes Siemens Energy a global market leader for renewable energies. An estimated one-sixth of the electricity generated worldwide is based on technologies from Siemens Energy. Siemens Energy employs more than 90,000 people worldwide in more than 90 countries and generated revenue of around €27.5 billion in fiscal year 2020.
The work in EcoFuel is centered in the “New Energy Business” segment that complements the portfolio of Siemens Energy by developing new technologies in the field of decarbonized energy systems. The current focus of New Energy Business is to enable the green hydrogen economy and to promote decarbonization, for instance by developing “power-to-x” technologies that use electricity from renewable energy sources for the production of low-CO2 synthetic energy sources (power fuels).
This business segment has successfully developed a PEM type water electrolyser (Silyzer portfolio). This was scaled up to double-digit megawatt range and is currently commercialized, already showing an impressive track record of >80 MW installation at customer sites.
Within this unit a development group has been working on electrochemical CO2 conversion for over 8 years, the first development of which is a CO2 to CO electrolyser that is to be scaled up. Currently this group comprises of more than 20 FTEs, 5 PhD students and a fluctuating number of master and bachelor students.
Besides scientific project coordination, dissemination and exploitation, Siemens Energy will strongly engage in investigations on the potential and feasibility of different cell architectures and the integration of all technological components in a demonstrator comprised of a stacked electrolyser that converts CO2 to C2/C3 components (cells of 300 cm2 stacked to achieve a ~1kW).
AVL List GmbH, Austria - www.avl.com
AVL List GmbH is the world's largest privately-owned company for development, simulation and testing technology of advanced powertrains with a long history in the entire transport sector, covering passenger cars, trucks and large engines. AVL has about 3850 employees at its headquarter in Graz (Austria), and a global network of 45 representations and affiliates resulting in more than 10000 employees worldwide. AVL´s Powertrain Engineering division activities are focused on the research, design and development of various powertrains in the view of low fuel consumption, low emission, low noise and improved drivability. Engineering services cover every step from advanced development through to serial production projects and every phase along the entire product life cycle.
In EcoFuel, AVL’s contribution is focused on following topics: as project coordinator AVL is responsible for project coordination and management. Based on vast experience with engine design and development for all kinds of transport applications, including engine lay-out for alternative fuels, AVL will assess the suitability of potential upgraded EcoFuel products for use as fuels for combustion engines from the perspective of various applications (e.g. on-road, rail, marine). The assessment will consider the thermodynamic efficiency, GHG and pollutant emissions, barriers for its large volume introduction (regulations, standardization, safety, infrastructure, cost, …). Furthermore AVL will lead WP7, the impact related studies, and care for analyzing and assessing of environmental, techno-economical impacts of the whole process chain of ECOFuel. AVL will perform a life cycle assessment of the new EcoFuel process-chain to be developed. The project team will also support project discussions on energy, energy sources, materials and processes in other WPs, especially in scale-up.
Axiom angewandte Prozeßtechnik Ges.m.b.H, Austria - www.axiom.at
Axiom angewandte Prozesstechnik GmbH is a privately-owned, medium-sized, technology-oriented company with a focus on separation technologies, in particular on the application of membranes for various gas and liquid separation processes. Axiom has developed and successfully commercialised several new separation processes such as biogas upgrading, hydrogen recovery and EOR systems. Company activities cover the entire process implementation: basic engineering, process integration, detail engineering, construction, commissioning and service. In addition, Axiom dedicates a significant part of its work to applied research and development of optimised separation processes for the modern and sustainable energy industry.
Within the EcoFuel project, the Axiom's objective is to develop and demonstrate a novel DAC system employing bipolar electrodialysis as means of providing carbon feedstock for the synthetic fuel production. Moreover, Axiom will elaborate solutions for the C2/C3 component enrichment and adjusting the gas mixture composition for the hydrocarbon synthesis unit.
Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Department of Atomic Physics, Hungary - www.bme.hu
The Department of Atomic Physics at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME) is one of the leading laboratories in Hungary in surface and thin film research. It is equipped for laterally resolved and in-depth chemical analysis of solid surfaces, coatings and thin films (XPS, SIMS, AES). One of the major research effort is directed towards electrocatalytical processes for CO2 conversion into base materials for drop-in fuel production.
In the EcoFuel project, BME will lead the task 4.3. The main goal of this task will be to carry out long-term tests of 10cm2 catalyst-electrode assemblies, investigating degradation processes at industrial-relevant current densities (200-300mA/cm2) by following product distribution as a function of time using gas chromatography, and by surface analysis of both new and used electrodes. Methods such as XPS, AES, SIMS and SEM will be employed to study the electrocatalysts’ composition, bonding states, structure and morphology, allowing material deterioration to be monitored and understood. Means of stability improvement can then be applied on a deductive basis.
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Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology, Germany - www.igb.fraunhofer.de
With its 75 institutes and 29000 employees, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is the world’s leading applied research organization. The Fraunhofer Institutes bridge the gap between fundamental research and industrial application by advancing innovative products and technologies together with industrial partners towards commercialization. The Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB develops processes, technologies and products for health, sustainable chemistry and the environment. Located in Straubing, the native town of Joseph von Fraunhofer in the Southeast of Germany, BioCat is the youngest branch of Fraunhofer IGB. The research at BioCat is focused on novel Power-to-X-to-Y processes as well as on production technologies and products based on biogenic raw materials.
In the EcoFuel project, Fraunhofer IGB BioCat will develop the thermo-catalytic Olefin-to-Liquid (OtL) process, specifically adapted to the upstream provision of olefins through electrocatalytic CO2 reduction. A significant focus will be put on finding the technically and economically most suitable process conditions to convert the electrochemically derived olefins into drop-in transport fuels. Process development will be conducted in a lab-scale automated parallel screening unit. Using the identified optimized operating parameters, the process will then be scaled up to produce sufficient volumes of regenerative fuel for engine testing.
Johnson Matthey Plc, United Kingdom - www.matthey.com
Johnson Matthey is a global leader in sustainable technologies, we apply our cutting-edge science to create solutions with our customers that make a real difference to the world around us.
We’ve been leaders in our field for more than 200 years, applying unrivalled scientific expertise to enable cleaner air, improved health and the more efficient use of our planet's natural resources.
And our story doesn’t end there. Through continued investment in sound research and development, we’re tackling the world’s big challenges into our third century and beyond. We have over 200 hundred years of history and over 15,000 employees in over 30 countries. JM is a manufacturer of CCMs for fuel cell devices and we are currently evaluating a parallel opportunity in CCMs for PEM electrolysers. We also develop and sell catalysts and processes for the synthesis of a range of bulk chemicals and fuels.
In EcoFuel JM will develop and test cathode catalysts for the electrochemical conversion of CO2 to C2 and C3 products as well as state of the art and alternative anode catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction, we will also lead the technoeconomic assessment of the upscaled EcoFuel process chain.
Pretexo, France - www.pretexo.com
Pretexo is a SME created in 2007 currently involved in several European collaborative projects. Pretexo has developed activities to facilitate and improve collaborative work, information sharing, communication and dissemination between researchers but also towards the public.
Pretexo proposes its skills in various fields, Proposal writing, assistance to Project management, implementation of communication tools and organization of international conferences.
In the EcoFuel project, PRETEXO is assisting AVL in the coordination activities, by providing and maintaining a Project Shared Workspace as well as internal communication tools. PRETXO is also in charge of the WP8 on Dissemination, Communication, Exploitation.
Technical University of Berlin, Germany - www.tu.berlin
The Technical University Berlin (TUB) is one of Berlin’s major Universities with a total of more than 40 thousand students, trainees, academic, teaching, and administrative staff. Composed of 7 different faculties, it has a long history of academic research with a strong focus on Engineering and technical courses. Over the years, the TUB has produced many well-known personalities and established itself in the German and international academic landscape.
Prof. Dr. Peter Strasser is an internationally recognised expert in the field of electrocatalysis. With his many years of scientific experience, he heads the “Electrochemical Energy, Catalysis, and Material Science Group” at TUB’s Department of Technical Chemistry and will lead TUB’s efforts in the EcoFuel project.
In the EcoFuel project, the TUB will work on a process for the efficient production of ethylene through a one-step electrocatalytic reduction of CO2. The work includes the synthesis of novel nanostructured catalyst, as well as the fabrication of electrodes and their electrochemical characterization in a laboratory-scale test station.
University of Oxford, United Kingdom - www.ox.ac.uk
Oxford University is an academic institution in the UK. The main aim is to educate students and research workers, cultivate talents and enhance scholarly activities. From this EcoFuel consortium Oxford can specifically develop new catalysts for superior performances. The understanding of structure-activity of new catalysts through in depth studies can lead to opening up of new concepts for university to promote green energy utilization and new pathways for chemicals synthesis. Oxford will value the opportunity to work with European leading companies to tackle ground-breaking projects such as EcoFuel. Spin-off activity from the University will be a possible outcome due to development of new knowhow because of this consortium.
