Avantium is a frontrunner in developing and commercialising innovative technologies for the production of chemicals and materials based on sustainable carbon feedstocks, i.e. carbon from plants or carbon from the air (CO2). One of Avantium’s innovative technology platforms is called Volta Technology and uses electrochemistry to convert CO2 to high-value products and chemical building blocks such as formic acid, oxalic acid and glycolic acid. The latter two are key building blocks for polyesters and other materials, allowing production of CO2 negative plastics.
The WaterProof programme aims to demonstrate the full value chain of a closed carbon cycle. Under this programme, Avantium will convert CO2, from wastewater purification and waste incineration into formic acid using its proprietary catalytic electrochemistry platform. This formic acid can then be used to make new consumer products. This project will demonstrate that competitive and profitable business opportunities can be created by turning CO2 into value-added products.
The WaterProof programme will start in June 2022 under the coordination of Avantium. In addition to Avantium, the WaterProof consortium consists of eleven leading companies and knowledge institutes: Funditec (Spain), Tecnalia (Spain), Stichting Waternet (Netherlands), Ecover (Belgium), Nova Institut GmbH (Germany), Nordic Fish Leather (Iceland), Izes GmbH (Germany), Frames Renewable Energy Solutions BV (Netherlands), Coatema GmbH (Germany), HVC (Netherlands), CTA (Columbia). The consortium received at total an EU Horizon Europe grant of €9.2 million.
Annelie Jongerius, senior scientist at Avantium and scientific coordinator of WaterProof, comments: “We are pleased with the EU Horizon Europe grant for the WaterProof programme, allowing us to showcase the added value of electrochemical conversion of CO2 into carbon-negative ingredients and materials. Electrochemistry has the potential to use CO2 as a feedstock for the sustainable production of chemicals and materials and this is seen as a ’game-changer’ for the chemical industry. Leading the WaterProof programme is a fantastic opportunity for us to work with like-minded organisations towards a fossil-free future.”
The WaterProof Project receives funding from the Horizon Europe Framework Programme under the Grant Agreement Number 101058578.
