Researchers from
A large interdisciplinary team led by Professor
Yesterday, the nominated research teams presented their innovations at a public event in
'It is a great honor to be among the finalists for the Deutscher Zukunftspreis, which provides a further boost to our research at
RWTH Rector
Vast amounts of carbon dioxide are emitted wherever fossil fuels are burned or processed - whether in the industrial, mobility, or energy sector. The chemical industry, however, requires carbon - a component of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide - as a building block for a wide range of products, including plastics. It is usually extracted from crude oil, natural gas, or coal. The nominated team has taken the first step towards closing the carbon cycle by using a portion of such carbon dioxide emissions for industrial production.
This use of CO2 is one of the 'dream reactions' being explored at the CAT Catalytic Center in Aachen, a joint facility of RWTH and Covestro. In the process, part of the petroleum-based raw material for chemical production is replaced by carbon dioxide. Up to 5,000 metric tons of polyol can already be produced annually in Covestro's pilot plant. This substance is then further processed into polyurethanes, which are used as foam in mattresses for example. Other fields of application for polyurethanes include soft foam in car seats and rigid foam in insulating materials.
This use of carbon dioxide was made possible by a breakthrough in catalysis research. Since carbon dioxide is chemically inert and reluctant to form chemical compounds with other substances, a tailor-made catalyst was needed to control the reaction for it to be economical and efficient. Catalysts cause reaction partners to form compounds by lowering the activation energy for conversion and steering it in a desired direction. The experts at RWTH and Covestro have found a suitable catalyst for incorporating CO2 into the polyol.
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