Técnicas Reunidas participates in a new European research project from the Horizon Europe program for the development of green technology for hydrogen peroxide production.
In the framework of the Horizon Europe program, the European Commission approved in 2023 the execution of a new research project, POWER2HYPE – Electrochemical Synthesis of Hydrogen Peroxide from Water, Air, and Renewable Energies, focused on the development of new green technologies for hydrogen peroxide production. The Horizon Europe program aims to drive research, development, and innovation projects led by companies or research centers to address the major current European challenges technologically.
Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), commonly known as hydrogen peroxide, is a daily-use chemical product. Also, ranked among the top 100 most significant chemicals globally, its industrial applications include wastewater treatment, use in bleaching, sanitation, chemical synthesis, and as aerospace fuel. Europe produces about 35% of the global peroxide (1.2 million tons) and it is estimated that this production will grow exponentially by 2030. Currently, the industrial production of hydrogen peroxide is predominantly based on the autoxidation process of alkyl anthraquinone. This process, which has high energy demand mainly fueled by fossil fuels, results in an estimated Greenhouse Gas emissions of 1.8% of the total chemical industry in Europe. At the same time, the characteristics and costs of this process limit it to centralized production in large chemical plants, limiting supply to remote areas and generating a high amount of toxic waste. The goal of the POWER2HYPE project is to research, develop, and demonstrate a new hydrogen peroxide production process, switching the current energy-intensive route for a sustainable electrochemical one. The process is based on the use of accessible and sustainable materials for both structural and catalytic parts of the reactor. Moreover, it uses only water and air as reactants and the electrolytes used are aqueous. The process does not emit toxic waste or greenhouse gases thanks to the process characteristics and the possibility of electrical supply by renewable energies. Compared to the established process, the new electrochemical route proposed by POWER2HYPE aims to achieve greater overall energy efficiency in producing hydrogen peroxide sustainably, decarbonized, and emission-free, allowing both industrial and decentralized production, potentially profitable even in miniaturized lines.
The project, led by the German technology center Fraunhofer Institute and with the participation of Técnicas Reunidas, also includes companies from the Solvay group (Solvay S.A., Rhodia Operations, Rhodia Laboratoire du Futur, and Solvay Specialty Polymers), SMEs such as DiaCCon, SGL Carbon, SolvGE, GLOBAZ, and IRIS Technology Solutions, as well as prestigious universities and R&D centers like Wageningen University and Research Center for Food and Bio-based Research, the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, and the University of Linz. Técnicas Reunidas plays a prominent role as a developer of innovative cell and stack configurations, as well as in the final integration of the process, the design, and implementation of a plant for the characterization of a 2.5 kW power stack and its evaluation at a pilot level for a production of 20 kg/day of peroxide.
With a strong focus on decarbonization and the energy transition of the European industry, the project aligns with the pillars of the European Commission's REPowerEU initiative for the rapid reduction of the use of fossil fuels and raw materials in industry and energy. Consequently, POWER2HYPE will contribute to the fight against climate change through the reduction of emissions and carbon footprint, driven by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the European Green Deal.
POWER2HYPE has a budget of 10 million euros, fully funded by the European Commission, for a total duration of 4 years.
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