The recently started EU-funded project MACBETH (Membranes And Catalysts Beyond Economic and Technological Hurdles) brings together 24 partners from ten different countries to develop a breakthrough technology by combining catalytic synthesis with the corresponding separation units in a single highly efficient catalytic membrane reactor (CMR). This novel process will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 35% and increases efficiency by up to 70%. Moreover, the reactors are designed for considerably smaller and even safer production plants resulting in a reduction of investment costs (CAPEX) and operating costs (OPEX) by up to 50% and 80% respectively.
For four different cases, this new reactor concept is now being applied to various chemical reactions and put into practice. This includes hydroformylation for specialty chemicals, hydrogen production for the transport/electricity generation sector, propane dehydrogenation (PDH) for large-volume chemicals and biocatalytic oil cleavage for biotechnologically manufactured products.
The project consortium comprises expertise in the fields of catalysis, membranes, carriers, reactors, engineering, modelling as well as the perspective of the end users. "It is crucial that we think beyond the boundaries of chemistry, share knowledge and exploit synergies. One individual company could never achieve this. Our consortium brings together the know-how that is essential for the desired breakthrough in catalytic synthesis," says Dr. Marc Oliver Kristen, Head of the Innovation Agency at Evonik and Project Manager of MACBETH.
As full partner in the MACBETH project, PNO supports the consortium with its expertise on the following topics: i) Stakeholder mapping and analysis; ii) Business planning and market scenario analysis; iii) Technology intelligence; iv) Exploitation plans and activities; v) Dissemination and Communication and vi) Networking.
For more information follow MACBETH project on:
Website: https://www.macbeth-project.eu/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MACBETH_H2020
