In brief
EthylenDirekt is developing an innovative process to produce ethylene – a key feedstock for the chemical industry – in a climate-friendly manner from CO2 and water. By using direct electrochemical conversion from carbonate solutions, energy-intensive intermediate steps are avoided, which is intended to increase efficiency and reduce costs. The aim is to demonstrate industrial feasibility.
What we’re working on
Motivation
Ethylene is one of the world’s most important basic chemicals, with global production of around 185 million tonnes per year. In Germany, production recently stood at around 4.3 million tonnes, underlining its central importance for industrial value creation. Conventional production relies on fossil raw materials and generates significant CO2 emissions. At the same time, geopolitical uncertainties lead to dependencies on crude oil imports. Against this backdrop, there is a great need for climate-friendly, resource-efficient and economically viable alternatives to ethylene production.
Innovative approach
The EthylenDirekt project is developing an integrated process that, for the first time, closely links CO2 capture and conversion. The starting point is a carbonate solution in which the CO2 is already bound. Within a specially designed electrochemical cell, this is released directly on site and converted into ethylene. This coupling eliminates several energy- and cost-intensive process steps involved in conventional CO2 utilisation. At the same time, key components such as membranes, catalysts and electrodes are being specifically further developed to significantly improve selectivity, energy efficiency and stability.
Implementation and added value
A key element of the process is a specially developed bipolar membrane. It specifically creates different pH conditions at the electrodes, thereby enabling the conversion of dissolved carbonates back into CO2 directly within the cell. This CO2 is immediately available for ethylene production. At the same time, the membrane design prevents unwanted mass transport and increases efficiency. Furthermore, the alkaline operating conditions at the anode allow the use of cost-effective, noble-metal-free catalysts. Overall, this approach promises significant advantages in terms of energy efficiency, cost reduction and industrial scalability.
EthylenDirekt in figures
The Hahn-Schickard Institute for Microanalysis in Freiburg has been conducting research into electrochemical energy converters since 2017. Hahn-Schickard’s aim is to support small and medium-sized enterprises in particular with their R&D activities. Hahn-Schickard is therefore involved in numerous publicly funded projects and direct industrial collaborations to develop components for fuel cells and electrolysis technologies. In recent years, its expertise in polymer development for electrochemical applications has been strengthened in particular.
The ‘Electrochemical Energy Systems’ group at the Institute of Microsystems Engineering at the University of Freiburg comprises around 25 PhD students, postdocs and Master’s students. The group has many years’ experience in the development of novel membrane-electrode assemblies for fuel cells, electrolysers, redox flow batteries and CO2 electrolysers. Furthermore, the group possesses extensive expertise in the advanced characterisation of electrochemical applications. Since 2010, the group has published more than 50 papers and has been honoured with several research awards, including the ‘F-Cell Award’ (2015, 2019 and 2022) and the DWV Innovation Prize (2018).
ionysis GmbH is a spin-off founded in 2022 by Hahn-Schickard and the ‘Electrochemical Energy Systems’ research group at the University of Freiburg. With around 25 employees, the company focuses on the commercialisation of novel PFAS-free catalyst-coated membranes (CCMs). ionysis develops and manufactures scalable membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) for applications such as fuel cells, electrolysers and CO2 electrolysis, thereby bridging the gap between material innovation and industrial implementation.
Contact
Dr. Lukas Metzler
Hahn-Schickard-Gesellschaft für angewandte Forschung e.V.
lukas.metzler@hahn-schickard.de