Turning waste into treasure Chinese scientists have stepped up the industrialization of carbon dioxide conversion and utilization

In the near future, China may realize the industrialization of the conversion and utilization of CO2 (carbon dioxide), and^CO2 will be produced on a large scale into various proteins, such as meat protein, feed protein and other high value-added products
.

At the first "Carbon Neutral Technology Academician Forum" at the 24th CHTF opened on the 15th, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (hereinafter referred to as Shenzhen Advanced Institute) and China Merchants Group Co.
, Ltd.
jointly established the "^CO2 Green Transformation Future Industry Joint Laboratory" (hereinafter referred to as the Joint Laboratory), opening up a new track
to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality.

The first joint R&D project carried out by the joint laboratory is "Green Manufacturing Based on Electrocatalytic^CO2 Conversion and Biorefinery", with a project cooperation amount of nearly 100 million yuan
.

The cooperation is led by Cheng Huiming, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and director of the Institute of Carbon Neutral Technology of Shenzhen Advanced Academy of Sciences, and will lead the joint laboratory team to break through the sustainable large-scale manufacturing technology of food, fuel and high-value chemicals driven by new energy, and establish an international leading industrial innovation system
for^CO2 utilization technology.

In April this year, Shenzhen Advanced Institute jointly made a major scientific breakthrough in carbon dioxide conversion and utilization, and the relevant results were published in the journal Nature Catalysis in the form of a cover article, which is the first step
of industrialization of Shenzhen Advanced Institute in this field based on the breakthrough of sister institutes of the Chinese Academy of Sciences last year.

Carbon neutrality refers to the absorption of anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases such as CO2 by human efforts (such as sequestration and conversion of^CO2, planting trees and grasses, etc.
) and natural processes, that is, the emission and absorption phases are neutralized to achieve zero
carbon footprint.

According to the International Energy Agency, annual global investment in clean energy is expected to exceed $2 trillion
by 2030.
"Developing and harnessing renewable energy is a fundamental way to achieve carbon neutrality, but disruptive technologies
need to be developed.
" Academician Cheng Huiming said that industrial raw materials such as tires, fibers, and plastics are currently dominated by fossil resources, and with the depletion of oil, natural gas and other resources,^CO2 can be used as industrial raw materials and production raw materials to transform them into resources
with industrial value.
This not only helps reduce carbon emissions, but also promotes a "carbon neutral" circular economy
.

Therefore, the joint laboratory will focus on the development of high-efficiency^CO2 catalytic conversion materials and devices, the biological transformation of low-carbon chemical synthesis, and the comprehensive utilization and transformation of multi-carbon sources and system integration
.

"Combining electrocatalysis technology with synthetic biology to develop electro/biological tandem catalysis technology can realize the transformation of^CO2 into high value-added products"
.
Zhang Xiaolong, a member of the joint laboratory responsible for the development of new high-efficiency electrocatalysts and associate researcher of the Institute of Carbon Neutrality of Shenzhen Advanced Institute, introduced
.

In April this year, Yu Tao, a member of the joint laboratory and a researcher at the Institute of Synthesis of Shenzhen Advanced Institute, and his collaborators successfully realized the conversion of CO2 to glucose and fatty acids, he said, "Based on electrocatalytic technology, the project team will work together to further realize the synthesis
of^CO2 to various proteins such as meat protein, feed protein and other high value-added products.
" ”

"My work is like the 'glue' between electrocatalytic systems and synthetic biological systems, using interdisciplinary and integrated methods to organically combine the two, develop a device that can be used for the large-scale production of CO2 high value-added products, and further promote the green transformation and utilization
of^CO2 in a chain and scale.
" Xia Lin, a member of the joint laboratory and senior engineer of the Institute of Synthesis of Shenzhen Advanced Institute, said
.

According to reports, the joint laboratory will build a thousand-ton device and pilot line around the green transformation of^CO2 into high value-added products, laying the foundation for the construction of a green biological manufacturing industrial park and related industrial clusters, and promoting the development of
carbon neutrality related industries.

According to Fan Jianping, academician of the International Eurasian Academy of Sciences and president of Shenzhen Advanced Institute, Shenzhen Advanced Institute will establish several research centers in the future, with a scale of 500 to 800 people, basically covering carbon neutrality related technology fields
.