Revolutionary CCU Breakthroughs Set New Course for Sustainable Industrial Transformation

(IN BRIEF) The CO₂-based Fuels and Chemicals Conference 2025 in Cologne will celebrate the innovative spirit of the CCU industry by presenting the “Best CO₂ Utilisation 2025” award to six groundbreaking technologies. The award highlights solutions that transform CO₂ into valuable products ranging from chemicals and fuels to high-performance materials. The conference, held in a hybrid format from 29–30 April 2025, will gather over 250 experts from industry, academia, and policy-making bodies to explore the latest advancements in carbon capture, renewable hydrogen production, and CO₂-based processing technologies. The event not only highlights these technological advancements but also provides a platform for dialogue on innovation strategies, sustainable energy transitions, and the industrial application of renewable carbon. With production capacity for CO₂-based products currently surpassing 1.5 million tonnes, the conference is poised to shape the future of carbon utilisation and support the broader circular carbon economy.

(PRESS RELEASE) HÜRTH, 19-Mar-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — At the upcoming CO₂-based Fuels and Chemicals Conference 2025 in Cologne, Germany, six pioneering innovations are set to redefine how industries capture and repurpose CO₂. The prestigious “Best CO₂ Utilisation 2025” award will spotlight breakthrough technologies that are transforming emissions into valuable products across sectors. This year’s nominees are presenting novel carbon capture systems, advanced CO₂ electrolysers, sustainable polyurethane solutions, green methanol production, and innovative methods for fabricating high-value carbon materials such as graphite and carbon nanotubes—all using CO₂ as a primary resource.

Taking place in a hybrid format from 29–30 April 2025, the 13th edition of this flagship conference is widely regarded as the leading platform for the CCU and Power-to-X sectors. Over 250 professionals representing industry leaders, academic experts, and policy-makers are expected to converge to discuss advancements in carbon capture, green hydrogen production, CO₂-based chemicals, materials, and sustainable fuels. This year’s agenda will specifically address the challenges of maintaining a stable, long-term supply of CO₂—emphasising innovations in capturing persistent biogenic CO₂, deploying efficient capture technologies, and ensuring the steady availability of renewable hydrogen, along with a vast range of CO₂ valorisation techniques and products.

More details about the event and the pioneering nominees can be found at co2-chemistry.eu.

Meet the Nominees: Shaping the Future of CO₂ Utilisation

Innovation in carbon capture is essential for converting CO₂ from a harmful emission into a resource that fuels the chemical and materials sectors and supports a circular carbon economy. By reimagining CO₂ as a renewable feedstock, these trailblazing technologies help reduce reliance on fossil fuels while opening up new commercial avenues.

eChemicles (HU): Recognised as a Top Innovator by UpLink – World Economic Forum, eChemicles has introduced the world’s first containerised and scalable low-temperature CO₂ electrolyser system. This system converts CO₂ emissions directly into valuable chemical molecules in a waste-to-wealth process. Its design allows seamless integration with existing infrastructure, reducing both investment and installation hurdles, while also being compatible with renewable energy sources to balance intermittency. The stacked design further enables scalable expansion without the need for a complete redesign. Learn more at echemicles.com

Far Eastern New Century Corporation (TW): This nominee presents the FENC® TopGreen® CO₂-based NIPU technology—a groundbreaking method for producing non-isocyanate polyurethane. By utilising captured CO₂ to create high-performance elastomeric materials, this technology offers a sustainable alternative to traditional polyurethanes that depend on hazardous chemicals. The process achieves a CO₂ content of over 50% and cuts carbon emissions by up to 58% compared to conventional methods, thereby providing safer, more sustainable products for various applications such as membranes, footwear, and artificial leather. Discover more at fenc.com

Oxylus Energy (US): Oxylus Energy’s innovative electrochemical process for green methanol production converts industrial CO₂ emissions directly into methanol using only renewable electricity and water. This breakthrough not only delivers carbon-neutral and even carbon-negative methanol at competitive costs but also offers a promising pathway to decarbonise challenging sectors like aviation, shipping, and chemical production, which together account for roughly 11% of global emissions. More information at oxylusenergy.com

Skytree (NL): With its Skytree Stratus Direct Air Capture (DAC) Park, Skytree provides a cost-effective solution for producing CO₂ for Power-to-X applications. This facility, which is independent of point-source capture, can be coupled with electrolysers that utilise water by-products from the capture process. The modular nature of the DAC Park allows for global deployment by optimising locations based on local electricity and electrolyser costs, while low-temperature requirements enable operation using industrial waste heat, geothermal energy, or other renewable sources. Explore details at skytree.eu

TNO (NL): TNO’s Sorption Enhanced DME Synthesis (SEDMES) technology marks a significant advancement in closing industrial loops. By combining CO₂ and green hydrogen in a single reactor that simultaneously removes water in situ, the process yields high conversion rates—exceeding 80%—to produce dimethyl ether (DME). This efficient one-step method not only simplifies production but also positions DME as a viable substitute for diesel and LPG while serving as an essential feedstock in the energy transition. The recent milestone of 1000 hours of pilot operation further underscores its potential.
Read more at tno.nl

UP Catalyst (EE): Through its Molten Salt CO₂ Capture and Electrochemical Conversion (MSCC-EC) process, UP Catalyst is converting CO₂ emissions into durable carbon materials like battery-grade graphite and carbon nanotubes. Operating at significantly lower temperatures (500–750 °C) than traditional methods, this innovative process requires only a fraction of the energy normally used, thereby reducing production costs and environmental impact dramatically.
Find out more at upcatalyst.com

Impact and Future Directions

Collectively, these innovations mark major progress in overcoming both technical and economic challenges to the commercialisation of CCU. Their diverse applications—from chemical manufacturing to sustainable fuel production and advanced materials—highlight the critical role that carbon utilisation plays in reducing fossil fuel dependency and fostering a renewable carbon economy.

The conference itself is a vibrant forum for industry networking, collaboration, and knowledge exchange, featuring sessions on innovation strategies, state-of-the-art carbon capture methods, CO₂-based product breakthroughs, and relevant policy frameworks. With the current global production capacity for CO₂-based products exceeding 1.5 million tonnes, the event underscores the importance of CCU in establishing CO₂ as a sustainable renewable carbon feedstock.

The CO₂-based Fuels and Chemicals Conference 2025 is proudly supported by sponsors who are committed to advancing CCU. Among these, Enviro Ambient, Holcim, and GIG Karasek have lent their support as event sponsors, while Yncoris has sponsored the “Best CO₂ Utilisation 2025” award. Co-organised by nova-Institute and CO₂ Value Europe, this award recognises the pioneers shaping the future of carbon utilisation. CO₂ Value Europe, dedicated to promoting sustainable industrial solutions, along with Yncoris and nova-Institute, reinforce the commitment to developing advanced technologies in renewable carbon cycles and sustainability.

For additional details and registration, please visit co2-chemistry.eu.

Responsible for the content under German press law (V. i. S. d. P.):
Dipl.-Phys. Michael Carus (Geschäftsführer)
nova-Institut für politische und ökologische Innovation GmbH
Press release nova-Institute – Sustainability & Innovation
Leyboldstraße 16 Tel: +49 2233 460 14 00
50354 Hürth Fax +49 2233 460 14 01
Germany contact@nova-institut.de

nova-Institut GmbH has been working in the field of sustainability since the mid-1990s and focuses today primarily on the topic of renewable carbon cycles (recycling, bioeconomy and CO2 utilisation/CCU).

As an independent research institute, nova supports in particular customers in chemical, plastics and materials industries with the transformation from fossil to renewable carbon from biomass, direct CO2 utilisation and recycling.

Both in the accompanying research of international innovation projects and in individual, scientifically based management consulting, a multidisciplinary team of scientists at nova deals with the entire range of topics from renewable raw materials, technologies and markets, economics, political framework conditions, life cycle assessments and sustainability to communication, target groups and strategy development.

50 experts from various disciplines are working together on the defossilisation of the industry and for a climate neutral future. More information at: nova-institute.eu – renewable-carbon.eu

Get the latest news from nova. Subscribe to https://renewable-carbon.eu/newsletters

CO2 Value Europe (CVE) is an international non-profit association representing the Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) community in Europe and beyond with a mission to promote the development of a circular carbon economy based on CO2 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to move away from fossil. More information at https://co2value.eu.

The Association brings together over 110 organisations worldwide from diverse sectors (including industries, start-ups, universities, research and technology organisations, and regional clusters), and develops a large network of many more organisations and individuals who share the belief that CCU technologies are necessary to help the EU reach climate targets.

Responsible for the content in the rest of Europe:
CO2 Value Europe
Antonio La Mantia
Director of Communications & Events
Antonio.lamantia@co2value.eu
Phone: +393803281710
Lili Chatzikonstantinou
Senior Communications & Events Manager
Lili.chatzikonstantinou@co2value.eu
Phone: +32477571803

SOURCE: nova-Institut GmbH