Gouda-based company Alta Innovation Support will receive over 1.8 million euros in funding to set up a pilot at Valuepark Terneuzen. The company wants to convert CO2 and gases from the chemical industry in the region into a liquid suitable for use in batteries.
The Zeeuws-Vlaanderen/Vlissingen-Oost region will receive a total of €58.5 million in European support to cushion the economic and social impact of the transition from fossil to green industry. The 'CO2 reuse in a cyclic carbonate' project is the first project in the region to receive funding from the European Just Transition Fund (JTF), which started at the beginning of this year. It therefore receives part of the European support from the JTF available to the region.
Equitable energy transition
The JTF is a grant fund aimed at achieving a 'just energy transition' in Europe. For this purpose, the fund makes subsidies available. The total JTF budget for the Netherlands is around 630 million euros. Besides Zeeuws-Vlaanderen/Vlissingen-Oost, West-North Brabant and South Limburg have been designated as JTF regions. They will each receive some €58.5 million in subsidies to cushion the impact of energy transition in industry.
In addition, the project will receive funding from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate (EZK). A total of €1,803,439 in subsidy is available for the realisation of the pilot.
'Great contribution to circularity and circular chemistry'
"The technical developments within this pilot will make a major contribution to circularity and circular chemistry in the region. The project thus contributes to the objectives of the JTF and is therefore also receiving this grant, which, with the help of Europe, will help the transition in our region a bit further," said deputy Jo-Annes de Bat.
Founder of Alta Frank Vergunst: "Our mission is to substantially green the chemical industry. Therefore, in recent years Alta has invested heavily in research into chemical processes that can be part of a circular economy. Using CO2 and waste biomass as renewable resources for valuable products and materials is highly desirable to make various production chains greener."
Converting CO2 and epoxides into raw material for lithium-ion batteries
Alta is the developer of a chemical technology that converts CO2 and epoxides, which is a petrochemical by-product, into a key raw material for lithium-ion batteries. Epoxides are gases that need to be processed safely. Before such plants can be built on a large scale, it is therefore essential to test them on a small scale first.
"Alta will build a pilot plant at Valuepark Terneuzen where we will demonstrate the in-house developed production method and test and validate on a safe scale the process for the production of cyclic carbonates. In this pilot, process data will be measured and analysed so that the process can be accurately modelled and we can safely scale up further. This project represents an essential step in the development that an innovation in the chemical industry needs to go through to reach a commercially viable end product. The JTF grant will allow us to achieve this faster," Vergunst explains.
Highly skilled workforce needed
The transition to a green industry requires highly skilled (technical) personnel. Alta is therefore working closely with Zeeland Knowledge Institutions, such as HZ University of Applied Science and University College Roosevelt. "We want to make an active contribution to turning the sector and various knowledge institutions in Zeeland into a Centre of Excellence," says Vergunst.
"The participation fund of Impuls Zeeland has made a significant contribution to our growth. In turn, we can now contribute to the growth of Zeeland's economy and employment with this project."
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
Photo: annca via Pixabay
