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

Abstract

Abstract 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 CO2 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