SOMMER Project
The ITQ (UPV-CSIC) participates in a European project that uses sunlight as an energy source for the production of renewable fuels.
[ 08/10/2024 ]
The Research Institute for Chemical Technology (ITQ), a joint research centre of the Universitat Politčcnica de Valčncia (UPV) and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), is taking part in the project "SOMMER. Solar-based Membrane Reactor for Syngas Production', which studies the production process of renewable fuels and chemical products through the use of sunlight as an energy source, using only CO2 and water as raw materials.
The concentrating solar power used in the SOMMER project is based on optical concentration systems to obtain high temperatures using only solar radiation. These high temperatures produce steam, which is then turbined in solar thermal power plants to produce electricity. Alternatively, the heat generated in the receivers of tower-type solar thermal power plants can also be used to process reactions that require high temperatures.
In the 4-year SOMMER project, advanced ceramic membrane reactors capable of operating at 1500°C will be developed. In these reactors, H2O and CO2 dissociation reactions will be carried out using only concentrating solar energy as the only energy input. These reactions result in a mixture called synthesis gas, used as a precursor in the synthetic production of high value-added chemicals and transport fuels.
‘The SOMMER project is a unique opportunity to apply our expertise in materials and catalytic membrane reactors to solar thermal processes, a key technology for producing renewable fuels from water and CO2 in a sustainable way,’ says Maria Balaguer, Researcher in charge of the project at the ITQ (UPV-CSIC).
SOMMER: European technology
In addition to the ITQ (UPV-CSIC), the German research centres German Aerospace Center (DLR) and Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ) and the Catalonian Centre IREC are also participating in the project. As for the industrial partners of the project, the European companies hte, BASF, TITAN and Haldenwanger are also part of the SOMMER project.
Since SOMMER was launched at the end of 2023, the companies and research centres that comprise the project have met twice to analyse the research progress and monitor the milestones set.
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