Carbon2Chem®

In the Carbon2Chem® research and development project, industry and academia are working together at thyssenkrupp Steel Europe’s Duisburg site to make CO₂ and other components of industrial process gases usable as feedstocks for chemical production. The aim is to use hydrogen to create sustainable value chains and open up new pathways for decarbonizing energy-intensive industries.

two employees at Carbon2Chem

As part of the project, thyssenkrupp nucera has operated a 2-megawatt pilot plant for alkaline water electrolysis (AWE) since 2018. Different individual processes – from water electrolysis to the utilization of CO₂ using electrolytically produced hydrogen – are integrated there and tested under industrial conditions using real steel mill gases. The plant can operate both, at permanent full load and with rapidly changing load profiles, enabling electrolysis to be investigated under the fluctuating conditions associated with renewable energy. The findings confirm the high performance and long-term stability of our technology.

Building on these successes, the project now focuses on advancing methanol synthesis, scaling the technologies, and developing new business models along sustainable value chains. At the same time, the hydrogen infrastructure in Duisburg is being expanded further, while the use of CO₂-based products is being extended to new applications such as sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

The site has been expanded further with an additional electrolysis hall operated by thyssenkrupp nucera. This strengthens the hydrogen supply on-site and creates an important infrastructure prerequisite for continuous industrial operation.

Werner Ponikwar

Chief Executive Officer, thyssenkrupp nucera

"Carbon2Chem® has been and continues to be invaluable for the further development of our electrolysis technology. The site offers a unique industrial environment in which new technologies can be tested in practical operation under real-world conditions and hydrogen can be produced. Carbon2Chem®’s ten-year history demonstrates the importance of such industrial testing and development environments in advancing technologies toward application and scale-up.”