The goal for Enerkem is to produce fuels and chemicals that are useful at the location they are generated. As part of this strategy, they have developed a technology to convert CO2 into syngas (hydrogen and carbon monoxide) using catalytic conversion. With the ability to create syngas at varying ratios, Enerkem can produce a variety of intermediary chemicals that lead to high-value chemical products. This unique value makes the technology useful in regions where transportation or storage costs are prohibitive.
Conceived as a bolt-on small chemical plant/refinery and using a catalytic chemical technology, Enerkem’s project intends to convert carbon from industrial CO2 to an intermediary carbon monoxide (CO). The CO can then be used to implement a carbonylation strategy that produces marketable chemical products such as propanol, propionic acid and acrylic acid. The basic process will produce CO and hydrogen (H2) derived from CO2 and natural gas. The ratio between CO and H2 is then easily modulated by standard technology and will be adaptable to different chemical synthesis needs.