Researchers of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have developed an innovative method to convert climate-damaging carbon dioxide (CO₂) into a useful chemical substance. For their PEReCO₂ project, they were honored with the 2026 Neuland Innovation Award. The technology harnesses electricity from renewable sources and can help to make the chemical industry more climate-friendly. The method offers companies an alternative to fossil resources such as oil.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is primarily considered a greenhouse gas, but it also contains carbon—an important component of basic materials used in the chemical industry. Acetate, which can be used, for example, in the production of plastics, paints, or solvents, is one of these substances. Researchers at KIT have developed a new technology as part of the PEReCO₂ project, that converts CO₂ into such basic materials. Instead of using up newly extracted fossil raw materials, the technology allows to recycle CO₂. The system can be scaled up for the use in large plants, too. It uses electricity and specific copper materials that enable the chemical reaction to run efficiently, making the technology suitable for use at an industrial scale.

New Method to Reduce Emissions and Oil Consumption

“The process has several advantages for a more sustainable chemical production. It works without fossil raw materials, does not compete with food production, and enables direct value creation from CO₂,” said Professor Matthias Franzreb, Head of the Department of Bioprocess Engineering and Biosystems at KIT’s Institute of Functional Interfaces. “It allows us to contribute to a sustainable chemical industry, which is oriented toward circular economy.” The team’s aim is to further develop the technology so that it can be used by companies or commercialized by spinoffs.

Cooling without Power Consumption

In addition to PEReCO₂, KIT honored two other projects that were submitted to the Neuland Innovation Contest. Second prize went to Universe Refrigerator, while GreenGen-OME was ranked third.

Universe Refrigerator is a cooling system that operates without electrical power. The team led by Dr. Gan Huang and Haiying Cheng from KIT’s Institute of Microstructure Technology leverages the principle of radiative cooling: A suitable material emits heat to the sky, thereby providing a cooling effect – even during solar irradiation. The modular system is particularly well suited to applications without a stable power supply, such as food storage.

New Methods for Sustainable Everyday Chemicals

The aim of the GreenGen-OME project is to develop methods that allow the production of more eco-friendly chemical substances for plastics, fuels, or solvents. The team led by Professor Jörg Sauer from KIT’s Institute of Catalysis Research and Technology focuses on chemical reactions that can be used to adapt the properties of substances to suit different industrial requirements. The researchers are currently working on upscaling the method from the lab environment to the industrial level.

More Efficient Production of Future Batteries

The technology transfer prize was awarded to the EXINOS2 project. The team led by Stefan Gartzke, Sebastian Schabel, and Professor Jürgen Fleischer from the wbk Institute of Production Science has developed a novel continuous process for manufacturing batteries that can be used for applications such as electric vehicles, making their production faster, more flexible, and more efficient.

About the Neuland Innovation Contest

The annual Neuland Innovation Contest has been established by KIT to support ideas that have a potential for practical implementation. Researchers and doctoral researchers can submit their projects. Besides a prize money of EUR 10,000 altogether, they are given support for transferring the results of their research to industry and the general public.