AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals, a subsidiary of Dutch paints and chemicals maker AkzoNobel, is teaming up with three groups in Sweden to explore the opportunities for producing green hydrogen (H2) and ‘electrofuels’ using renewable energy.
Converting excess renewable electricity into green H2 or electrofuels offers the potential to balance the fluctuations in supply and demand of electricity from renewable sources including wind and solar power.
The electrofuels concept is based on the process of electrolysis of water, which produces H2 and oxygen (O2). This can be further combined with carbon dioxide (CO2) to produce for example methanol, which is a key feedstock for the manufacturing of chemicals and can also be further processed into synthetic fuels. In this way, the process serves as a carbon ‘sink’ by effectively recycling CO2 emissions.
AkzoNobel said it is a major user of electricity in Sweden and will contribute its expertise in electrochemistry to the partnership. The Netherlands-based company is partnering with RISE Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE), forestry group Södra and packaging materials company BillerudKorsnäs; the study is also supported by the Swedish Energy Agency.
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