Photocatalysis holds great promise for sustainable fuel production, and within the FOTON project, the University of Antwerp is harnessing this potential to convert CO₂ and green hydrogen directly into methanol. In collaboration with TNO and UHasselt, the University of Antwerp is synthesizing and testing a range of photocatalyst combinations to maximize CO₂ conversion efficiency.
A key highlight of this research is the development of a custom-built operando DRIFT spectrophotometer at the University of Antwerp. This setup enables real-time tracking of conversion intermediates, providing insight into the underlying reaction mechanism. By bridging fundamental surface chemistry with practical methanol synthesis conditions, this approach aims to build a comprehensive understanding of the photothermal CO₂ hydrogenation process.
Through these efforts, the University of Antwerp is working to transform CO₂ from an environmental burden into a valuable building block for the fuels of tomorrow.
In parallel, the University of Antwerp is developing a new electrolysis technology for the fabrication of green hydrogen, to be fed into the CO2 conversion process. In particular, they are studying membrane-free electrolyzer architectures in which engineering of the flow conditions ensures gas separation, but at a largely reduced manufacturing cost.
