Finding methods and materials for climate-friendly energy sources.

In the coming years, greenhouse gas emissions must drop, whether in the energy sector, in heating and cooling, in transportation, or in industry. Otherwise, we will not be able to achieve the global climate targets. There is a need for alternatives to the energy sources commonly used to date. In industry, for example, fossil natural gas can be replaced by green hydrogen from renewable energies or by natural gas from biogenic processes. In the transportation sector, synthesized products like green methanol or dimethyl ether could take the place of crude oil-based fuels. These are chemically produced from carbon dioxide and sustainably obtained hydrogen.

We are researching which chemical processes are most efficient for producing such energy sources and fuels and which components and materials are suitable for this purpose, such as catalysts. Our researchers are analyzing promising systems, materials, and processes using modeling and experimental investigations.

In this way, we are identifying novel synthesis pathways for a fossil-free future.

(Photo: Forschungszentrum Jülich/Ralf-Uwe Limbach)