HOW GREEN CHEMISTRY IS CREATED

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Evonik and Siemens are developing a sustainable process for producing specialty chemicals with the help of carbon dioxide, water, and electricity from renewable sources. A combination of chemical electrolysis and microbial fermentation can be used to produce valuable substances such as butanol and hexanol.

Infographic Maximilian Nertinger

Included Media

Carbon dioxide

(CO₂)

Water

(H₂O)

Oxygen

(O₂)

Carbon monoxide

(CO)

Hydrogen

(H₂)

Interactive Infographic

SPECIALTY CHEMICALS

Butanol and hexanol are feedstocks for the production of fuels, feed additives, and plastics. With the new process, about three tons of CO2 would be needed to produce one ton of butanol.

2. FERMENTATION

Inside the fermenter, bacteria metabolize the synthesis gas under the exclusion of oxygen.
The alcohols butanol and hexanol are thus produced in several steps

1. ELECTROLYSIS

Inside the electrolysis cell, water is separated into hydrogen and oxygen at the anode.
At the cathode, carbon dioxide is reduced to carbon monoxide.
The result is synthesis gas, a mixture of CO2, CO, and H2

OXYGEN

The oxygen that is produced as a byproduct of electrolysis is dispersed in the atmosphere.

RESOURCES

Carbon dioxide and water are the raw materials for the Rheticus project. They are processed using electricity generated from renewable sources.