ICO₂NIC Project
Our Vision
The ICO₂NIC project aims to optimise the cost- and energy-efficient capture, purification, and conversion of CO₂ into valuable chemicals and products, showcasing a Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) approach that delivers economic benefits to industrial CO₂ emitters, end-users, and technology providers.
The 4-year project will combine advancements in CO₂ capture technology based on polymer membranes with a new gas diffusion electrochemical cell to convert CO₂ into formic acid. This formic acid will then be processed through biochemical processes to produce high-value goods and materials, including microbial oils and proteins. Microbial oils will be used in surfactants, beauty care products, and sustainable aviation fuels, while microbial proteins will be utilised for fish feed. ICO₂NIC will create opportunities for substantial long-term CO₂ capture in the refinery sector, supporting decarbonisation efforts.
The ICO₂NIC Concept
One of ICO₂NIC’s main goals is to achieve emission reductions in the process industries, serving as a critical step toward global Net Zero. To this end, the project will build an integrated CO₂ capture, purification and conversion demonstrator at a petrochemical refinery to validate the circularity of the ICO₂NIC CCU concept.
By making CCU economically viable, the ICO₂NIC approach will incentivise global emitters to capture and convert waste CO₂, accelerating the transition to a low carbon future.
Objectives
Membrane-based CO₂ Capture
Electrochemical CO₂ Conversion
Biological Processing
Versatile Feedstock Output
Sustainable Applications
Membrane-based CO₂ Capture
Electrochemical CO₂ Conversion
Biological Processing
Versatile Feedstock Output