The so-called Project Air looks to combine carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) for converting CO2 residue streams, renewable hydrogen, and biomethane in pursuit of decarbonising methanol production.

On Thursday (January 19), the European Climate, Infrastructure, and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) granted the €97m funding for the project from the Innovation fund with hopes it could act as an enabler for the European chemicals industry to become climate neutral.

According to Perstorp and Uniper, the CO2, renewable hydrogen, and biomethane production method is expected to lead to a relative decrease of 123% in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions avoidance compared to conventional methanol synthesis.

“We are happy and grateful that the EU and the Innovation Fund recognise the importance of the chemical industry and its sustainable transformation with this support, which will enable the sustainable transformation of thousands of end products and value chains,” said Jan Secher, CEO of Perstorp.

David Bryson, Chief Operating Officer at Uniper, commented, “Europe is experiencing an unprecedented energy squeeze, where the focus is on securing energy supplies almost on a daily basis. Recognising that we have a common future will be pivotal to tackling the climate challenge.

“We need to substitute fossil fuel resources with sustainable alternatives to achieve climate neutrality, and from that perspective Project Air is a game-changer for the transition of the chemical industry.”

In October last year (2022), Uniper announced it had awarded Technip Energies a front-end engineering design (FEED) study contract for its 100MW green hydrogen project in the Port of Rotterdam.

Read more: Uniper to start FEED study for its flagship 100MW green hydrogen project