Bayer to turn RWE power plant emissions into polymer materials
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Leverkusen, Germany – Bayer – through its Bayer MaterialScience and Bayer Technology Services units – RWE Power AG and RWTH Aachen University are working jointly on a project,called “Dream Production”, to turn carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions into polyurethane insulation and automotive materials.
The partners are establishing a pilot plant at Bayer’s Leverkusen HQ site, for kilogramme-scale production of polyether polycarbonate polyols (PPPs), as a feedstock for the production of polyurethanes. Results from the pilot unit will be transferred from the laboratory to a larger scale in the ’Dream Production’ project, which has German government funding of Euro4.5 million over three years.
The CO2 used for the project will come from RWE Power’s lignite-fired power plant at Niederaußem. This is where the electricity generator operates a CO2 scrubbing system at its coal innovation centre, by which the carbon dioxide is captured from the flue gas.
For the Dream Productions project the CO2 scrubber will be equipped with an additional liquefaction system so that the carbon dioxide can be transported to Leverkusen. The CO2 liquefaction system will be designed and operated with flexibility to meet various CO2 pressures and purities on a scale ranging from kilograms up to tonnes.
Catalysis is the main technology focus of the project, said Bayer, noting that the low energy density of carbon dioxide has hindered the application of this technology in any attempt to put CO2 to practical use. The PPPs, it added, will incorporate CO2 in the process and create new possibilities in polyurethane chemistry.
“Dream Production” is based on a forerunner project “Dream Reactions”, which was initiated by Bayer Technology Services, explains Dr. Dirk Van Meirvenne, managing director of Bayer Technology Services GmbH.
“As part of this project, we dealt with fundamental questions focusing on harnessing CO2 by using newly developed catalysts. We have achieved promising results that form the basis for industrial implementation in the Dream Production project,” said Van Meirvenne.
