Martijn de Graaff MSc
- chemical
- formulation
- separation
- process
- modular
VoltaChem: Electrification of the Chemical Industry
VoltaChem is a business-driven Shared Innovation Programme for the electrification of chemistry, initiated by TNO, ECN, Topsector Chemistry and multiple companies. Its goal is to use renewable energy in the chemical industry for the production of heat, hydrogen and chemicals.
The increase of sustainable energy creates opportunities, especially because solar panels and windmills generate more and more electricity at lower costs. However, the power grid is not ready for the fluctuation of this energy supply, especially during peak times. Energy storage can absorb surplus electricity in part but another, highly promising option is for industry to use electricity directly in production processes.
VoltaChem serves and works with the industry and initiates and facilitates collaborative development of technology and business models with the aim of moving innovation faster towards commercial implementation. New technologies are developed and implemented that focus on the conversion of renewable energy from solar and wind to heat, hydrogen and chemicals. The program incorporates the entire value chain and addresses both the indirect and direct use of electricity within the chemical industry.
Challenges
The electrification research programme started early 2015, and already delivered multiple results. Since the appearance of the roadmap last year, the VoltaChem white paper ‘Empowering the chemical industry – Opportunities for electrification’ has been published. It describes the status of different kinds of electrification:
- Power-2-Heat: converting electricity into heat.
- Power-2-Hydrogen: converting electricity into hydrogen with electrolysis.
- Power-2-Chemicals: converting electricity into chemical products and energy carriers through electrochemistry, as well as the use of electricity for the production of high-value products.
Join?
We are continuously working on further development of the technologies described in the white paper towards useful applications in the chemical industry. Are you interested in the electrification of chemical production processes, or would you like to be directly involved in the research? VoltaChem invites organizations to join the community with stakeholders from the chemical industry, electricity sector, high-tech industry and public sector. This community is an excellent platform to meet relevant stakeholders across the entire value chain, exchange knowledge and explore business opportunities together.
Interested or want to join us?
Please contact VoltaChem
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Knowledge
Efficient processing
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Roadmap