Electrification has a crucial role in responding to the climate crisis. From transportation to manufacturing, electrification of our societies and industries is essential. With power-to-x (P2X) technologies, we can respond to the challenges of the seasonal and intermittent nature of most renewable energy sources and turn excess electricity and substances into end-products that can be used as raw materials.
VTT’s focus areas on Power-to-X and industrial electrification
VTT aims to develop P2X technologies that can address the renewable energy intermittency issue and contribute to the reduction of CO2 in the atmosphere.
We focus on P2X solutions that can be technologically and economically feasible with tangible benefits to industry.
VTT works on P2X and electrification with customers from different industries e.g. oil refining, cement and lime, iron and steel, pulp and paper.
At VTT, we help our customers to identify and drive decarbonisation and electrification opportunities through P2X as well as fuel cells and hydrogen technologies and carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCU & CCS) concepts. With P2X, renewable surplus electricity can be used to produce clean hydrogen that can be converted into different products with carbon dioxide or nitrogen.
VTT’s pilot helps an industrial scale P2X project off the ground in Finland
Vantaa Energy announced in 2021 that it is moving ahead with plans to build a large hydrogen plant in Vantaa by 2025. The upcoming plant will use hydrogen to produce carbon-neutral synthetic natural gas out of green electricity and carbon dioxide. VTT has supported Vantaa Energy to reduce risks connected with the investment project and to find the best practical solutions to be applied on an industrial scale,
Our key P2X services for industry cover:
- New technology concepts utilizing clean hydrogen and CO2 for fuels, chemicals and materials
- Techno-economic assessments of new concepts utilising clean hydrogen and CO2 for added value products
- Demonstration and proof-of-concepts for P2X concept development and supporting smart digital solutions
- Hydrogen value chain expertise in P2X systems
- Clean energy integration and sector coupling analyses including market aspects
Electrification of industry
- Concept development for industrial electrification processes
- Solutions for electrifying especially calcium carbonate based industrial processes utilizing electric kiln system
- Waste heat utilisation solutions
- Smart digital solutions for industrial processes and energy systems (steady state and dynamic modelling capabilities, data analysis and machine learning)
E-fuel project – together towards sustainable transportation fuels
Global emissions from transportation sector currently cover about 15% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. The market for synthetic fuels that arises from an acute need to reduce emissions is expected to grow to millions of tons by 2030 in Europe alone.
VTT coordinates E-fuel research project that brings together industry leaders to develop integration of hydrogen production through high-temperature electrolysis using a solid oxide electrolyser cell (SOEC), carbon dioxide capture and Fischer-Tropsch fuel synthesis.
Piloting with VTT’s Power-to-X and CCU demonstration platform
We work with our customers from innovation to implementation. When developing CCU and CCS solutions, pilots can be used for power-to-chemicals and power-to-fuel testing and demonstration campaigns at industrial sites globally.
Our pilot system consists of several mobile containers which can be operated independently or as an integrated platform with chosen combination:
- Direct Air Capture (DAC) device for CO2 capture from air with a CO2 capacity of 3-4 kg/day
- CO2 capture from lime kilns (electrically heated rotary kiln)
- CO2 capture unit using sodium carbonate solvent for absorption
- 30 kW proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolyzer generating hydrogen with a capacity of 4 Nm3/h
- High temperature Solid Oxide Cell electrolyser system
- Adsorption/gas cleanup device for contaminated feed gases
- CPOx/rWGS unit for processing carbon dioxide on-site
- Fischer-Tropsch synthesis unit for producing 3–5 L/d of liquid hydrocarbons and 6–9 L/d of solid hydrocarbons
- Catalytic methanation unit for producing 1 Nm3/h SNG
