Fast-response Electrically heated catalytic reactor technology for CO2 reDUCTion

The e-CODUCT project aims at electrifying the simultaneous chemical conversion acid gas components (CO2 and H2S) into the platform molecule CO and marketable sulphur using an electrothermal fluidised bed reactor (ETFB) technology. The corresponding process will comprise two steps: a first one for CO2 and H2S reduction into COS and a second step for COS decomposition into the platform molecule CO and Claus grade sulphur. To demonstrate its valorisation potential, CO will be converted into green methanol as final product using a third reaction. The e-CODUCT consortium is composed of nine entities including industrial and academic partners spanning a complete value chain from material suppliers and engineers to modelling experts and technology providers. e-CODUCT will optimise and scale-up the reactor materials and catalysts to TRL6 to 16t/y of CO production while reducing reactor size by 50%, among others via the removal of heating units. Techno-economic and environmental assessment of the reactor performances will demonstrate -40% CAPEX and OPEX as well as -50% of GHG emissions. Optimisation of operating conditions and reaction yield will be supported by fundamental (micro)kinetic modelling as well as industrial process planning accounting for variability of feedstock composition and renewable energy resources. Integrated conceptual design will fasten future scale-up and commercialisation of the reactor demonstrator at TRL9 with a final capacity of 34kt of CO2 converted per year. e-CODUCT will provide a first-of-a-kind fast-response electrically heated catalytic reactor able to replace the conventional Claus unit for sulphur recovery and simultaneous electroreduction of CO2, allowing -50% energy demand for acid gas treatment in over 130 refineries in Europe by 2035. The process could then be diversified to other applications such as FCC, steam cracking and dehydrogenation and multiple sites as biogas digesters and gas plants representing 18,000 sites in Europe.