Biotech demonstrator will produce acetone from captured industrial emissions

NORWAY is set to host a demonstration plant that will use biotechnology to convert 10,000 t/y of industrial CO2 emissions into chemicals.

The €44m (US$51m) PyroCO2 project is being funded by the EU and involves a consortium of industry and academic institutions including Johnson Matthey, Arkema and the NORCE Norwegian Research Centre. The plant will be built at the Herøya Industrial Park in Porsgrunn, Norway. Using a thermophilic microbial bioprocess, the plant will convert captured industrial CO2 emissions and hydrogen produced from renewable power into around 4,000 t/y of acetone. The acetone produced will be catalytically converted into a range of chemicals, synthetic fuels, and recyclable polymers as the project seeks to produce a portfolio of business cases and pre-developed processes for replication and commercialisation.

Torbjørn Ølshøj Jensen, CEO of consortium member SecondCircle, says: "Our society needs technology to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases from the industry and to produce our daily-used chemicals sustainably. The PyroCO2 project scales up CCU technologies in a consortium with both industry and academic partners. Collaborations between academia and industry will accelerate the development and commercialising of true sustainable technology."

The project runs until September 2026 and supports the EU’s ambition under its European Green Deal to make its economy sustainable and climate-neutral by 2050.