In brief
INDICO₂ is developing an innovative process for the climate-friendly production of dimethyl carbonate (DMC) from CO₂ and green methanol. The use of inductively heated catalysts and integrated water removal is expected to significantly increase yield and energy efficiency. The aim is to create an economically attractive and sustainable alternative to established, fossil-based production processes.
What we’re working on
Motivation
The chemical industry faces the challenge of replacing fossil-based raw materials with sustainable alternatives whilst reducing climate-relevant emissions. Dimethyl carbonate (DMC) is a versatile chemical feedstock used, amongst other things, in lithium-ion batteries, as a solvent, as a fuel component and in plastics production. Current production relies predominantly on fossil raw materials and, in some cases, problematic chemicals such as carbon monoxide or phosgene.
Innovation approach
The INDICO₂ project is developing a sustainable process for the cost-effective production of pure DMC from CO₂ and green methanol. To this end, the project aims to selectively heat the catalyst using inductive heating, which opens up a fundamentally new approach to reaction control. To this end, catalyst materials are being developed and used in a novel fixed-bed reactor together with molecular sieves, which adsorb the water produced during the reaction in situ, thereby shifting the equilibrium towards the product side.
Implementation and added value
In the project, the consortium partners are jointly developing new catalyst materials, designing and constructing a laboratory prototype of the reactor, optimising product purification, and analysing the economic viability and sustainability of the process. A key development objective is to significantly improve reaction performance compared with the current state of the art: the CO₂ conversion rate is to be increased by a factor of ten, whilst maintaining high selectivity for dimethyl carbonate. This could make the direct CO₂-based production of DMC economically viable for the first time. In the long term, the concept developed will not only enable the sustainable production of DMC but can also be applied to other CO₂-based chemical processes. INDICO₂ is thus contributing to the climate-friendly transformation of the chemical industry and to Europe’s technological sovereignty.
INDICO₂ in figures
The IHE at Forschungszentrum Jülich forms the core of the Helmholtz Cluster for a Sustainable and Infrastructure-Compatible Hydrogen Economy (HC-H₂), one of Germany’s largest structural transformation projects. The IHE conducts research into the storage, retention and transport of hydrogen and energy in sustainable energy and hydrogen carriers. In the INDICO₂ project, the IHE is coordinating the collaborative project and is responsible for the development and operation of the reactor prototype. In addition, it is carrying out reaction engineering studies on DMC synthesis.
Institute of Inorganic Chemistry
Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg is a research-intensive university with particular expertise in the natural sciences and the development of functional materials. In this project, JMU’s Institute of Inorganic Chemistry is developing novel inductively heatable catalyst materials and investigating their thermal properties as well as their interaction with adsorbent materials.
The Helmholtz Institute for Polymers in Energy Applications, Jena (HIPOLE Jena, part of the Helmholtz Centre Berlin) conducts research into highly efficient, scalable, cost-effective and sustainably produced technologies for energy storage and energy conversion. As part of the INDICO₂ project, HIPOLE Jena is developing generally applicable tools for techno-economic and life-cycle analysis, thereby quantifying the potential of the new DMC synthesis route and related processes that combine inductive heating with water adsorption.
Himmelwerk Hoch- und Mittelfrequenzanlagen GmbH specialises in industrial induction technologies and high-frequency systems. Within the project, Himmelwerk is developing the necessary induction heating technology and supporting its technical integration into the reactor system.
ASG Analytik-Service AG has many years’ experience in fuel analysis, chemical process development and product characterisation. Within the project, ASG is developing analytical and purification methods for the DMC produced and assessing its potential industrial applications.
Associated Partner
The Bad Köstritz Chemical Plant contributes its expertise in the field of adsorbents and molecular sieves and supports the project in selecting suitable materials for water adsorption within the reaction system.
Subcontractor
Harold Scholz & Co. specialises in industrial specialty materials and is supporting the project by supplying and developing suitable susceptor materials for inductive heating.
Contact
Dr.-Ing. Patrick Schühle
Institute for a Sustainable Hydrogen Economy (Forschungszentrum Jülich)
p.schuehle@fz-juelich.de