P2X breakthrough reduces reliance on fossil fuels

The chemical industry is responsible for over 15 per cent of global CO2 emissions, largely due to the use of fossil fuels as an energy source in chemical production.

The decarbonisation of the industry will rely on the use of renewable energy to power future processes and produce renewable feeds in what is referred to as Power-to-X (P2X). These new processes can convert renewable electricity into molecules such as green ammonia or methanol which can be used in sectors that are difficult to electrify or stored for later use.

While new technologies are being developed for Power-to-X, most of the processes are not economically competitive with the fossil-fuel driven ones. This prompted CIA to develop a novel optimisation framework for Power-to-X processes which additionally enhances their economic competitiveness whilst providing viable business models.

“We have developed novel optimisation algorithms to be able to process long-term historical weather data – over 40 years - to provide a location-fingerprint to enable the robust optimisation of green processes, and in particular green ammonia,” said CIA director Professor Laura Torrente Murciano. “Our clients approach us with a particular project, such as the development of a green ammonia plant in a particular location, and we provide pre-feasibility studies to guide them through optimal design of the process to build a robust business model.”

Professor Torrente, reader in reaction engineering and catalysis at St John’s College, Cambridge University, and fellow CIA director Dr Collin Smith, a Junior Research Fellow in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Cambridge University, are recent graduates of the University’s impulse innovation programme, an initiative designed to accelerate innovations with high-potential into commercial propositions.

“Accelerating the decarbonisation of chemical processes is an area where close collaboration between academia and industry is critical,” said Professor Torrente. “We are engaging with renewable energy developers, engineering firms and investment funds to bring state-of-the-art optimisation algorithms to market, to de-risk green projects form early development stages in our quest to decarbonise the society while providing growth and energy security.”