ICIQ hosted the H2CAT network’s Demo Day technology networking event on Wednesday, coordinated by the Eurecat technology centre, which brought together researchers, companies and key stakeholders with the aim of accelerating industrial decarbonisation in Catalonia.
The conference began with the institutional welcome of the Director General of Knowledge Transfer and Society of the Department of Research and Universities of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Javier Selva; the director of the ICIQ, Emilio Palomares, and the director of the H2CAT network and director of the Chemical Technology Unit of Eurecat, Miriam Díaz de los Bernardos, who highlighted the role of collaboration between research and industry in moving towards climate neutrality.
“Knowledge, generated through research, is essential to build a society that is more prepared and capable of facing current challenges,” said Emilio Palomares. “At ICIQ we want to actively contribute to making Tarragona a benchmark in innovation and sustainability. In this context, conferences such as the Demo Day become fundamental, because the connection between research and industry is key to moving towards a decarbonised and circular production model“, added the director of the ICIQ.
In this sense, Miriam Díaz de los Bernardos stressed that “this Demo Day highlights the maturity of the technologies that are being developed in Catalonia in the field of renewable hydrogen and circular carbon, and their real capacity for transfer to industry”.
Presentations of innovative projects in Catalonia
During the block of presentations, various initiatives aimed at industrial decarbonization were presented, starting with the strategies promoted by the Generalitat de Catalunya in this area, and also the development of the industrial decarbonization project of pilot plants for the capture and use of CO2 led by the Catalan Institute for Chemical Research (ICIQ) and which is financed with ERDF funds.
In this context, innovative projects developed by different reference entities of the Catalan research and innovation system have been presented. Specifically, the advances of the CIUDENOL project, a pilot plant for methanol production promoted by Eurecat and CIUDEN, as well as the FUELPHORIA project, coordinated by the Rovira i Virgili University, and focused on accelerating the sustainable production of advanced biofuels and RFNBOs (Renewable Fuels of Non-Biological Origin); the BIOMET project, a biological reactor for the conversion of CO2 and H2 to methane, in which the University of Barcelona participates; and the SOREC2 project for the conversion of CO2 to C2 products (ethylene/ethanol) in which the Autonomous University of Barcelona and ICFO participate.
The conference, which was attended by about one hundred people, also included the business success story of Orchestra Scientific, showing how research in CO₂ recovery can evolve towards business solutions with a real impact on the reduction of emissions and the transformation of the chemical and energy sector.
Space for technology demonstrators and prototypes
One of the central elements of the conference was the technology demonstrators space, where more than a dozen prototypes and innovative solutions developed by research centres, universities, technology centres and spin-offs of the network were shown. This space has facilitated direct interaction between technology developers and companies, highlighting the transfer and scalability potential of solutions based on renewable hydrogen and circular carbon.
Eurecat has presented the SunCoChem technology, capable of producing syngas from CO2 and sunlight, as well as advanced components for electrolyzers, membranes manufactured by 3D printing, components for CO2 capture and a PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane) electrolyzer.
ICIQ, for its part, has shown advanced solutions for hydrogen production and CO2 recovery, which range from catalysts based on abundant and economical metals or 3D printed photocatalysts, to AEM (Anion Exchange Membrane) electrolysers or devices based on the concept of artificial photosynthesis.
In the demonstrator area, a hydrogen generation demonstrator was also exhibited, along with advanced materials derived from biomass and hybrid systems for water division and electrochemical CO₂ reduction by the Rovira i Virgili University; as well as materials, electrodes and electrochemical cells aimed at CO₂ reduction by the Autonomous University of Barcelona, and prototypes and components for the development and integration of hydrogen technologies, by the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, through the CER-H2.
Finally, the space also had the participation of the Tarragona spin-offs Orchestra, JOLT and Nanochronia, who presented innovative solutions in CO2 capture, hydrogen production and advanced sensors, respectively.
The conference concluded with a networking space and a visit to the ICIQ laboratories, where attendees were able to learn first hand about the centre’s scientific and technological capabilities in the field of sustainable chemistry and industrial decarbonisation.
The Demo Day has had the collaboration of the Efficient Energy Cluster of Catalonia (CEEC), ACCIÓ and the Association of Chemical Companies of Tarragona (AEQT), which have supported the dissemination and connection with companies and key agents in the territory.
La entrada ICIQ hosts the Demo Day of the H2CAT network for industrial decarbonisation se publicó primero en ICIQ.