SCORE – SOLAR ENERGY FOR CIRCULAR CO2 PHOTOCONVERSION AND CHEMICALS REGENERATION

01/03/2022 – 28/02/2025

SCORE intends to promote an innovative technology for the valorization of CO2 through solar energy. From a circular economy perspective, fuels and products with high added value will be obtained starting from harmful gaseous waste (CO2, products of the main combustion processes, for example in energy conversion). Carbon dioxide is a critical greenhouse gas, co-responsible for ongoing climate change and economically negative due to the payment of emission quotas.
SCORE technology restores value to the CO2 sequestered from industrial effluents through a new concept of photoreactor, operating for the first time at high temperature and high pressure, coupled to a solar concentrator. The recipe for the success of this new technology is based on the union of three ingredients: development of more efficient photocatalysts,
amplification of the intensity of solar radiation and use of non-conventional reaction conditions.

SCORE aims to demonstrate on a semi-pilot scale a revolutionary solar photoreactor concept, applied for the first time to the photoreduction of CO2.
The quantitative targets that we intend to achieve in SCORE involve the accumulation of solar energy in chemical compounds (formic acid, formaldehyde, methanol, methane, etc.) with high added value compared to reagents (CO2 + H2O). The expected efficiency is > 15% (solar-to-fuel).
SCORE also has a training objective for 4 young researchers, with specific scientific responsibilities in the project and involved in the dissemination of the results.
A further objective is to raise public awareness on the topic of the circular economy, expressed as the regeneration of useful products starting from waste that is harmful to the environment. Attention will be paid to the formation of an industrial network for the future development of SCORE technology.

The project is divided into 3 actions (to which are added project management, WP0, and dissemination/communication/IP).
The ambitious objective can only be achieved by combining different implementation aspects: the design and production of photosensitive materials in the widest possible portion of the solar spectrum (WP1), the creation of a photoreactor operating in unconventional conditions (high temperature and high pressure), taking advantage of a unique technology developed by our group (WP2) and the concentration of solar energy in the photoreactor by developing a prototype point concentrator combined for the first time with the photoreactor (WP2). These activities will lead to the demonstration of the feasibility of the technology and on the basis of these results we will proceed with the preliminary process design, with economic and environmental impact assessment (WP3). This last action will be the relevant result to be proposed to the industrial network for future implementation.

The expected results are:
1) Development of a photosensitive material capable of absorbing at least wavelengths lower than 600 nm, thus exploiting most of the UV and visible component of the solar spectrum, and active/stable for the reaction. The materials will be designed ab initio by CSIC and created with advanced preparation techniques by INSTM;
2) Creation of a continuous reactor operating up to 30 bar and up to 300°C for the photoreduction of CO2 to high added value products and regenerated fuels.
3) Creation of a Fresnel-type solar concentrator, combined with the photoreactor.
4) Yield optimization, process design and economic and environmental impact assessment for future scale-up.
5) Training of 4 young researchers (including soft skills)
6) Development of an industrial network for the future implementation of the results on a pilot scale.
7) Dissemination of results to the non-specialist public.

The project is carried out by two partners: 5 research groups from various Italian universities associated through the Interuniversity Consortium for the Science and Technology of Materials (INSTM) and ICMAB-CSIC (Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior De Investigaciones Cientificas – Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona).

INSTM:

University of Milan – Prof. Ilenia Rossetti (PI): design, development and testing of the high T and P photoreactor coupled to the solar concentrator.

University of Genoa – Prof. Gianguido Ramis: study of the reaction mechanism.

University of Venice – Prof. Michela Signoretto: synthesis of materials.

University of Perugia (Physics) – Prof. Luca Gammaitoni: characterization of materials.

University of Perugia (Engineering) – Prof. Linda Barelli: integrated process design and modeling of the reactor and solar concentrator.

ICMAB-CSIC:

Dr. Riccardo Rurali: in silico design  of visible-harvesting photoactive materials for the photoreduction of CO2.

 

The results have been published up to now as follows:

  1. “Artificial photosynthesis: the role of photocatalysis in the energy transition”, M. Tommasi, F. Conte, G. Ramis, I. Rossetti, DGMK Tagungsbericht, 2022, Vol.2022(3), p.134-15.
  2. “Carbon nitride-based catalysts for high pressure CO2 photoreduction”, M. Tommasi, F. Conte, I. Rossetti, G. Ramis, Materials Proceedings, 11 (2022) 1. Download here
  3. “Carbon nitride-based catalysts for high pressure CO2 photoreduction”, F. Conte, E.I. García-López, G. Marcì, C.M.L. Bianchi, G. Ramis, Rossetti, Catalysts, 12 (2022) 1628. Download here
  4. “Model validation and dynamic simulation of post-combustion carbon dioxide separation with membranes”, A. Tripodi, R. La Pietra, M. Tommasi, Rossetti, J. Membrane Science, 676 (2023) 121586. Download here
  5. “Highly efficient and effective process design for high-pressure CO2 photoreduction over supported catalysts”, M. Tommasi, F. Conte, I. Fontana, M.I. Alam, G. Ramis, I. Rossetti, Energies, 16 (2023) 4990. Download here

 

The results have been also presented at the following congresses and schools:

  1. “Photoreduction of CO2 at high pressure: effect of co-catalysts and conditions, G. Ramis, F. Conte, I. Rossetti, NAM2022, Maggio 2022, presentazione poster.
  2. “Carbon nitride-based catalysts for high pressure CO2 photoreduction”, I. Rossetti, G. Ramis, F. Conte, ANM2022, Aveiro, luglio 2022, presentazione orale.
  3. “Artificial Photosynthesis: The Role of Photocatalysis in the Energy Transition“, M. Tommasi, F. Conte, I. Rossetti, G. Ramis, DGMK2022, ottobre 2022, presentazione orale.
  4. “Carbon nitride-based catalysts for high pressure CO2 photoreduction”, G. Ramis, M. Tommasi, F. Conte, I. Rossetti, XXII Congresso Nazionale della Divisione di Chimica Industriale della SCI, Catania, 7-8 novembre 2022, presentazione poster
  5. “Photoreduction of CO2 to liquid products with innovative photocatalysts”, Tommasi, M.I. Alam, G. Ramis, I. Rossetti, 2° Scuola Enerchem, Firenze, 13-17 febbraio 2023, comunicazione orale.
  6. “High CO2 Photoreduction Performance Achieved with Ceria-Based Photocatalysts”, O. Tammaro, V. Russo, B. Masenelli, M. Tommasi, I. Rossetti, S. Esposito, 2° Scuola Enerchem, Firenze, 13-17 febbraio 2023, comunicazione orale.
  7. “Exfoliated carbon nitride as solar sensitive materials for photocatalytic applications”, S.N. Degerli, M. Tommasi, G. Ramis, I. Rossetti, ANM 2023 – 20th International conference on Advanced Nanomaterials, Aveiro, 26-28 luglio 2023, Comunicazione orale.
  8. “Perovskite as novel photocatalytic material for CO2 utilization” S. Taghavi, G. Forghieri, E. Ghedini, M. Signoretto, XXIII National Catalysis Congress, GIC 2003, Genova, 14-16 giugno 2023, comunicazione poster.
  9. “Development of perovskite-based materials for the photo-catalytic valorization of CO2” G. Forghieri, I. Martin, E. Ghedini, F. Menegazzo, M. Signoretto, XII Congresso Nazionale di Chimica Industriale, Catania, 7-8 novembre 2022, comunicazione orale.

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