A European project uses sunlight as an energy source for fuel production

VALÈNCIA 8 Oct. () –

The Institute of Chemical Technology (ITQ), a joint research center of the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) and the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV), participates in the SOMMER project. Solar-based Membrane Reactor for Syngas Production, which investigates the production process of renewable fuels and chemicals through the use of sunlight as an energy source using only CO2 and water as raw materials, as reported by the institute in a statement .

The concentrated solar energy used in the SOMMER project is based on optical concentration systems to obtain high temperatures using only solar radiation, the same sources have indicated.

These high temperatures produce water vapor that is then turbined in solar thermal power plants to obtain electricity. Alternatively, the heat generated in the receivers of tower-type solar thermal power plants can also be used to carry out reactions that require high temperature.

In the four-year SOMMER project, advanced ceramic membrane reactors will be developed, capable of operating at 1500 ºC. In these reactors, the dissociation reactions of H2O and CO2 will be carried out using concentrated solar energy as the only energy input. These reactions produce a mixture called synthesis gas, which is used as a precursor in the synthetic production of high-value-added chemicals and transportation fuels.

“The SOMMER project is a unique opportunity to apply our experience in membrane catalytic materials and reactors to solar thermal processes, a key technology for producing renewable fuels from water and CO2 in a sustainable way,” highlighted María Balaguer, CSIC researcher in the ITQ (CSIC-UPV) and responsible for the project at the center.

In addition to the Institute of Chemical Technology (ITQ, CSIC-UPV), the German research centers German Aerospace Center (DLR) and Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ), as well as the Research Institute for Game Resources (IREC), participate in the project. Regarding the industrial partners of the project, the European companies hte, BASF, TITAN and Haldenwanger are part of the work.

Since SOMMER began at the end of 2023, the companies and research centers that make up the project have met twice to analyze the progress made in the research and monitor the established milestones.