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ELECTRIFYING LIGHT OLEFINS: A FIVE-MINUTE VIEW OF WHAT IS COMING

Today, every ton of ethylene and propylene carries, on average, five tons of fossil CO2 emissions. ECOLEFINS (https://ecolefinsproject.eu/) is developing the technology that would make that same ton carbon-negative — and, in doing so, would begin to detach major petrochemicals from petroleum.

ECOLEFINS is an EU/UK funded research project advancing the performance of CO2 hydrogenation to light olefins, using green H2 produced by steam electrolysis (see figure 1). We work on two performance fronts at once: efficiency, measured in MWh of electricity per ton of olefins, and the selectivity of the H2/CO2 reaction system towards light olefins. Light olefins rank among the top three chemicals worldwide by production volume, which is what makes that aim consequential.

THE PRIZE, IN NUMBERS. In contrary to the 5 tons CO2 released per ton of light olefins in the current industrial practice, the electrified route is carbon-negative, capturing and withdrawing 3 tons of CO2 per ton produced — an overall 8 tons of carbon gain per ton of olefins. Electrifying the full 45 million tons of annual EU/UK production would correspond to an 8–14% reduction of total EU and UK CO2 emissions, while also yielding roughly 3 tons of carbon-neutral hydrocarbon fuels per ton of olefins — estimated to cover about 10% of EU/UK diesel and gasoline consumption.

WHAT IT WOULD TAKE. Full electrification would require an almost 70% increase in overall electricity consumption in the EU/UK. The break-even cost of electrified olefins is estimated at about three times today’s commodity price (roughly 3,000 EUR/tn against 1,000 EUR/tn today); ECOLEFINS aims to bring that down to about 2,000 EUR/tn at an electricity price of 60 EUR/MWh — see figure 2. In EU/UK the electrification of 45 Mtn/a light olefins production capacity would require an overall fixed capital investment (CAPEX) up to 300 billion euros (6.5 k€ per tn of olefins production capacity), in the whole time-span of the industry transition, compared to the 4 trillion euros of the current annual Gross Fixed Capital Investments.

A DISRUPTION. Taken together: (1) the detachment of major petrochemicals from petroleum and the shift of olefins production towards end-users and CO2 emitters, (2) the conjunction of the electro-olefins industry with renewable hydrocarbon fuels, (3) the drastic increase of renewable electricity and electrolysis capacity, (4) the CO2 capture requirements, and (5) the light-olefins cost and subsidisation issues — project a major disruption over the coming decades, reaching the petrochemical, the light-olefins end-using, the renewable electricity generation, the electrolysis technologies and the renewable fuels industries alike.

A FIRST FOR CO-IONIC SOLID-OXIDE CELL TECHNOLOGY. On top of the above, ECOLEFINS introduces — for the first time in solid-oxide cell technologies — intermediate-temperature (300 – 500 °C), co-ionic, ceramic electrolytes and cells, able to simultaneously conduct hydrogen (in the form of H+ protons) and oxygen (in the form of O2- anions) and to effectively promote the energy-efficiency and the sustainability of major industrial hydrogenations, including olefins and other chemicals of massive production volumes (e.g. ammonia, methanol, BTXs, various organic oxygenates and many more), which carry many times higher economic importance and renewable electricity requirements than light olefins. In this context, proton and co-ionic electrochemical reactors for major industrial syntheses, can represent an all-new direction of intense interest and research/market perspectives, as well as a diversification opportunity for the solid-oxide cells industry (see figure 1).

WHY YOUR VIEW MATTERS. Tackling the era of total chemical industry electrification, ECOLEFINS is reaching out to the industries involved, as well as to the academic and research communities, to policy makers, to civil society and to others — in order to draw attention to, and record the perceptions of, a wide range of stakeholders on such a consequential turn for a fundamental and massive economic sector. The survey that follows takes under five minutes and there are no right answers. Your judgement is the only data we need.

Questions: research@ecolefinsproject.eu

PRIVACY NOTICE. This survey is conducted for the dissemination and socio-economic study of the ECOLEFINS project (GA 101099717). Your responses are collected and processed by the ECOLEFINS consortium — with the Centre for Research & Technology Hellas (CERTH) leading the social research task — on the basis of its legitimate interest in carrying out EU-funded research dissemination. Answers are analysed in aggregate only. The link you received contains an anonymous code indicating your stakeholder group; it is not used to identify you personally. Optional demographic questions are exactly that: optional. Data are retained until the end of the project reporting period and then deleted. For questions or to exercise your rights under GDPR, contact research@ecolefinsproject.eu.