About RHINO

Electrifying chemistry towards net-zero emission industry​

RHINO project will establish the foundation of a new electrified paradigm for the chemical industry that will allow the integration of renewable energy sources and the decarbonisation of this energy-intensive sector.

Rhino’s approach to electrifying the chemical industry is the use of electrochemical reactors that give the chance to employ electric power to supply the energy required by a chemical reaction with high selectivity. RHINO will break the current barriers to create an entirely new class of electrified catalytic reactors for the chemical industry sector with an innovative interdisciplinary approach combining cutting-edge nanomaterials and interface engineering, a fundamental understanding of kinetics and microwave interaction with materials, as well as multi-physics modelling.

Two novel electrical-driven reactors will be addressed in the Rhino project.

Electrochemical membrane reactors

Joule electric heating in ceramic membrane reactors will allow the exploitation of the effect of local heating. To induce the Joule effect in the dielectric ceramic membranes, it is necessary to engineer them to enable electron transport. Here, resistive architectures based on multi-coatings, micro-scale patterning and/or composites will be developed to heat resistive tubular reactors with an applied current.

Electrochemical reactors based on membrane electrode assemblies (MEA) will be developed, where the electrical current pump ions, like H+ , through a selective electrolyte into or out of a reaction medium, inducing changes in the equilibrium, selectivity and heat transfer. The targeted breakthrough is to break some of the existing barriers, such as the current temperature limitations.

Microwave driven reactors​

A breakthrough technology for microwave-driven enhanced catalysis of reduction-oxidation (redox) reactions and local contact-less heating for high-pressure intensified processes. This would push microwave chemistry as one of the candidates to renew industrial production to achieve ideal production systems for the future society according to sustainable development goals.

Moreover, “non-equilibrium local heating”, defined as the phenomenon of heating domains at much higher temperatures than a bulk solution temperature, can cause the enhancement of chemical reactions.  The aim is to understand how the mechanism of this phenomenon depends on the reaction systems and systematize the knowledge so that chemical reactions can be controlled, leading to industrial applications.

IMPACT

The European Green Deal aims to make Europe climate neutral by 2050, boost the economy through green technology, create sustainable industry and transport, and cut pollution. The chemical industry is among the most significant fossil energy consumers. Considering the 135 million tons of CO2 it releases into the atmosphere annually and its meagre 1% renewable energy share, the chemical industry is one area that must be urgently addressed.

Electrification of chemical industry, replacing technologies and processes that do not use electricity with ones that do, coupled with renewable electricity supply, are key elements in the green transition towards a deep decarbonisation of our economy and society. The expected outcome of the project encompasses the proof of concept of a series of reactor technologies that will allow the electrification, intensification and efficient operation of several chemical processes of industrial interest.

The advancement and application of such technologies will be accompanied by immediate benefits as decreased industrial GHG emissions and energy intensity and a more dynamic renewable grid. RHINO’s vision is that the journey to full industrial electrification will involve widespread adoption of electrified reactors technology. But to realise their full potential, their application must be pushed into previously unthought of territory. RHINO will provide that essential initial push to unlock an unprecedented industrial future.

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