Biomethanol at the heart of a circular economy project in which Ucbm is a partner
di Beatrice Passarelli
29 July 2022 - It is the first chemical element in the periodic table and by far the most abundant in the universe. Despite this, in nature thehydrogen (H) is found only in combination with other elements, such as in water (H2OR). It is currently produced from fossil fuels, in particular from natural gas, with the consequent emission of CO2. To "extract" it in a sustainable way, alternative solutions are sought, which may prove to be valuable for the decarbonization of some sectors, first of all that of transport.
The Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma participates in an ambitious technology transfer project to produce “green hydrogen” starting from water through an innovative thermochemical cycle fed directly by solar power. The water splitting method, developed byAeneas (National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development), is based on a series of reactions optimized by researchers UCBM to improve the sustainability of the process and optimize its costs.
The research and development program, coordinated by prof. Vincenzo Piemonte, president of the master's degree program in Ingegneria Chimica per lo Sviluppo Sostenibile, has as its ultimate goal the construction of the first pilot plant in the world ever built for the massive production of hydrogen. The product obtained is then intended to be used in combination with CO2 sequestered from the atmosphere, for the production of biomethanol CH3OH which, thanks to its versatility, finds application in the chemical industry and above all as a fuel for road vehicles or marine engines. This project also involves theUniversity of Salerno, the University of Genoa e Cnr Itae (Institute of Advanced Energy Technologies "Nicola Giordano") and could help meet the future demand for hydrogen and biomethanol in Europe.
