Catalyst and process development, CO2 and energy conversion
The Fraunhofer IGB makes the greenhouse gas CO2 usable as a carbon source for the chemical industry. With a patented catalyst synthesis, screening for the optimal catalyst in high throughput and combined (electro)chemical-biotechnological processes, various concepts are available to CO2 emitting industries.
Combining chemistry and biotechnology
A prominent, first-of-its-class example is a process which combines the CO2-based methanol synthesis with the methanol fermentation to isoprene, lactic acid, poly-hydroxy butyric acid and longer chain hydrocarbons (DE102016203889, WO2017153396). This process enables the cost-efficient further conversion of methanol to products with much higher market price compared to methanol. Therefore, this process has the potential to turn small-scale CO2 valorization into a profitable business.
Searching for the best catalyst – in high throughput
In all synthesis processes, the catalyst performance is of key importance which determines whether the desired product can be produced economically. In order to determine which catalyst is best suited for the implementation in question, the Fraunhofer researchers screen the possible candidates in various reactor systems.
Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB
