HyCARB Project Launches to Develop Green Hydrogen Solutions for Chemical Industry

HyCARB, a major research and development initiative within GroenvermogenNL, officially launched on March 11 with participation from 17 knowledge institutions and 28 companies, including startups, SMEs, and multinationals.

The five-year project, funded with over €35 million in subsidies from GroenvermogenNL and NWO, along with €10 million in partner investments, aims to make the chemical industry more sustainable by replacing fossil raw materials with green hydrogen and renewable energy-based processes.

The project focuses on four research lines: converting CO₂ into fuels and platform chemicals using green hydrogen; electrochemical conversion processes for producing ethylene and oxalic acid; using electrons to heat chemical conversion processes; and combining these technologies efficiently.

According to TNO's Martijn de Graaff, general project coordinator, the initiative addresses a critical need—global demand for carbon-based chemicals is expected to double by 2050, yet current production relies on fossil raw materials, generating significant CO₂ emissions.

Utrecht University's Bert Weckhuysen highlighted the project's uniqueness: investigating and comparing different thermal and electrochemical conversion routes for CO₂ within a single large-scale project. Technical coordination also involves Eindhoven University of Technology's Marta Costa Figueiredo, who emphasized the challenge of managing intermittent renewable energy sources for large-scale chemical processes.

The project continues through 2029 and includes training for the next generation of researchers in green chemistry.

Originally reported by Hydrogen Central. Read the full article →