Toward an e-chemistree: Materials for electrification of the chemical industry

Abstract

Due to our increasing awareness of the impact of climate change on our society, unit operations in our manufacturing processes, including those in chemical industry, have to be greenified and made less dependent of fossil resources. This so-called electrification of the chemical industry is still yet in its infancy but there are many scientific and technological challenges to be solved. This article provides some directions for further research for scientists in both academia and industry to move step by step to an e-chemistree. These important but far from trivial energy and materials transitions require not only the introduction of new ways of heat management and other, often not yet fully explored, chemical conversion processes in which green electrons are used, but also the development of new materials including large-scale heating coils, easily chargeable battery systems as well as catalyst materials. For each of these developments, there is the issue of materials scarcity as well as durability as the introduction of these production processes should also be cost effective and overall more sustainable than the existing ones. Graphical abstract

Catalysis for e-Chemistry: Need and Gaps for a Future De-Fossilized Chemical Production, with Focus on the Role of Complex (Direct) Syntheses by Electrocatalysis

“…While the transformation of the chemical industry to e -chemistry is often considered to be motivated (only) by reducing the carbon-footprint, but at the “expense of higher production costs and unintended environmental burden shifting”, we would further remark that instead the push toward necessary innovation will result in lower global costs, with a different model of chemical production, interaction with territory and society …”

“…159 While the transformation of the chemical industry to echemistry is often considered to be motivated (only) by reducing the carbon-footprint, but at the "expense of higher production costs and unintended environmental burden shifting", 159 we would further remark that instead the push toward necessary innovation will result in lower global costs, with a different model of chemical production, interaction with territory and society. 160 For catalysis, e-chemistry is a grand challenge, offering the possibility to rebuild its role as a key technology and develop a new basis for understanding. This will occur only when the significant changes in the approach to catalysis required to face this transformation are understood and introduced in the scientific practice.…”

Modeling Competing Kinetics between Electrochemical Reduction of Furfural on Copper and Homogeneous Side Reactions in Acid

“…The chemical industry consumes 10% of worldwide energy and is responsible for 7% of greenhouse gas emissions. , Innovations to the chemical industry that can incorporate renewable energy and sustainable feedstocks are required to close the carbon cycle to reduce anthropogenic CO 2 generation. − A sustainable feedstock like biomass can be converted into a bio-oil through pyrolysis, of which contains a mix of hundreds of biomass-derived species . The bio-oil is then upgraded to a more stable oil for transport before use, currently done thermocatalytically, requiring well above the stoichiometric amount of H 2 gas .…”

The merit of pressure dependent kinetic modelling in steam cracking

“…Furthermore, like most industrial sectors, there is a push for electrication of the petrochemical industry. 17 This push has led to a reassessment of the steam cracking process and the inception of several revolutionary reactor concepts, e.g., the roto dynamic reactor developed by COOLBROOK OY. 18 This reactor is an ineffective compressor that, instead of increasing the pressure, transforms the electrical energy into heat using a rotor and a stator during which shock waves are generated.…”

“…Furthermore, like most industrial sectors, there is a push for electrification of the petrochemical industry. 17 This push has led to a reassessment of the steam cracking process and the inception of several revolutionary reactor concepts, e.g. , the roto dynamic reactor developed by COOLBROOK OY.…”