News / 17/05/2022

€3 Million Horizon Europe grant for Dutch company

Avantium to convert CO2 into consumer products via electrochemistry

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Avantium NV from the Netherlands has received a € 3 million grant from the EU Horizon Europe program for its participation in the four-year research and development program WaterProof. This program aims to demonstrate the value of electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) into high value chemicals and products.
Editorial office / Amsterdam

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.

Consortium

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: “Using electrochemistry to use CO2 as a feedstock for the sustainable production of chemicals and materials 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.”

For more information, visit the Avantium website.

Image: petrmalinak/Shutterstock

Avantium