Research paper charts road map for displacing fossil fuel in the production of plastics

A research paper from the University of Toronto has shown a course for how renewable electrosynthesis could usher in a more sustainable chemical industry, and ultimately enable more oil and gas to be left in the ground.

Phil De Luna, the main author of the paper, has outlined how the process of renewable electrosynthesis could take the ‘petro’ out of petrochemicals.

De Luna said: “Think about what the petrochemical industry does, it takes heavy, long-chain carbon molecules and uses high heat and pressure to break them down into basic chemical building blocks.”

“Imagine that instead of using fossil fuels, you could use CO2 from the air, and instead of doing the reactions at high temperatures and pressures, you could make the chemical building blocks at room temperature using innovative catalysts and electricity from renewable sources, such as solar or hydro power, that’s renewable electrosynthesis.”

“The advantage of the process is the speed and throughout. Plants are great at turning CO2 into materials, but they can also use their energy for things like metabolism and reproduction, so they aren’t very efficient.”

“It can take 10 to 15 years to grow a tonne of usable wood. Electrosynthesis would be like putting the CO2 capture and conversion power of 50,000 trees into a box the size of a refrigerator.”