Electrification of the chemical industry—materials innovations for a lower carbon future

• Published in: MRS bulletin Vol. 46; no. 12; pp. 1197 - 1204
• Main Authors: Eryazici, Ibrahim, Ramesh, Narayan, Villa, Carlos
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.12.2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Alkenes; Ammonia; Applied and Technical Physics; Carbon content; Carbon dioxide; Carbon sequestration; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemical industry; Chemical reactions; Chemistry and Materials Science; Electric power grids; Electricity; Electrification; Electrolysis; Energy Materials; First principles; Greenhouse gases; Hydrogen production; Innovations; Materials Engineering; Materials Science; Nanotechnology; Nitric acid; Reducing agents; Review Article; Life cycle assessment; Supply chain; Footprint; Circular economy; Renewable
• ISSN: 0883-7694; 1938-1425
• DOI: 10.1557/s43577-021-00243-9

The chemical industry contributes to 6% of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A handful of chemical processes (ammonia, nitric acid, methanol, olefins, aromatics, and chlor-alkali) account for 65% of those emissions. Decarbonization of the chemical industry will depend on addressing the intermittency of renewable electricity possibly via low-carbon hydrogen production using water electrolysis. A low-carbon power grid, which could happen in the next decade, would enable the chemical industry to reduce its GHG emissions by at least 35 percent. The remaining heat-based and direct emissions could be addressed by direct use of low-carbon electricity for heat or by generating hydrogen that can be used as a fuel and reducing agent coupled with CO 2 capture and utilization efforts. Herein, we discuss how materials innovations could enable the transition to a lower carbon future when based on first-principles and economic realities. Graphical Abstract