SUPERVAL
SUPERVAL’s primary objective is to investigate the viability of a technology capable of transforming the treatment of post-combustion gases to unlock the potential of carbon and nitrogen components by separating and transforming them into valuable resources.
The client
Horizon Europe – European Union
Our role
We contribute with an LCA following the ISO 14040/14044 standards for the SUPERVAL technology on a hypothetical industrial scale, using the current production of formate and ammonia as a benchmark.
Sustainable Photo-Electrochemical valorisation of nitrogen and carbon emissions from flue gases
Limiting post-combustion emissions is one of the most urgent actions for environmental remediation. However, capture technologies face multiple challenges mostly due to the low concentration of pollutants, such as carbon dioxide (CO₂) or nitrogen oxides (NOₓ), making them highly inefficient. Additionally, even if successful, there are very few plausible uses for the captured pollutants, apart from long-term geological storage.
In the pursuit of a more sustainable future, SUPERVAL’s primary objective is to address these challenges simultaneously, investigating the viability of a technology capable of transforming the treatment of post-combustion gases to unlock the potential of carbon and nitrogen components by separating and transforming them into valuable resources.
SUPERVAL will design and realize an autonomous, solar-powered installation able to capture harmful emissions from flue gas, and valorise them as commodities for the chemical industry. The CO2 will be transformed into an organic, energy-rich molecule (formate). The NOx will be also captured and transformed, in combination with N2, into ammonia using the hydrogen obtained in the CO2 co-electrolysis processes. This integrated effort will offer the comprehensive capture and valorisation of carbon and nitrogen components in post-combustion emissions, thus limiting pollutants and resulting in added-value chemicals. The corresponding techno-economic analysis and life cycle assessment studies will help to shape the components and performance of SUPERVAL as a useful technological advancement in the search for zero net emissions.
SUPERVAL will be coordinated by the research institution Institut Catala d’Investigacio Química (ICIQ-CERCA) and will bring together a consortium of diverse organizations contributing their unique expertise and resources. The participating partners include: Orchestra Scientific. Universitat Politècnica de València – UPV, Consorzio Interuniversitario Nazionale per la Scienza e Tecnologia dei Materiali – INSTM UdR Messina, CASPE Laboratory. Forschungszentrum Julich, Technische Universiteit Eindhoven – TU/e. Vareser 96 and 2.-O LCA Consultants.