AGC/Cert to research ethylene production using CO2

Manufacturer of glass, chemicals and other high-tech materials AGC has agreed to a joint research contract with Canada-based climate tech start-up Cert Systems Inc to conduct research on the production of ethylene using C02 as a raw material through electrolysis technology.

In this joint research, the AGC Group will begin examining the introduction of CCU technology in order to replace ethylene, which is used as a raw material for products such as polyvinyl chloride and fluoropolymer resin, with ethylene derived from CO2.

As an innovative technology for achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, CO2 capture and utilisation (CCU) technology has been attracting attention in recent years. Three main reaction methods for producing CO2-derived ethylene are being considered: hydrogen-based reactions, electrolysis reactions, and photosynthesis-based reactions.

In particular, the electrolysis method, which is the subject of this study, is attracting a great deal of attention worldwide due to the high convenience of its raw materials, which are renewable energy-derived electricity and water, in addition to CO2.

In this joint research, Cert and the AGC Group will leverage the knowledge gained from Cert’s successful pilot demonstration experiment in 2020, which was the world’s first to produce ethylene from industrial emissions using CO2 electrolysis technology, and will conduct research towards the practical application of CO2 electrolysis plants.