RWTH Contributes to CO2SMOS EU Project

15 institutions have joined forces to contribute to paving the path towards a circular economy for biorefineries.

Over the next four years, CO2SMOS is set to receive seven million euros in funding from the European Union as part of its Horizon 2020 research and innovation program. RWTH's Chair of Communication Science headed by Professor Martina Ziefle will contributes to the research project.

Biorefineries use biomass, by- and co-products and waste instead of fossil resources as their raw material. A further step on the way towards a sustainable circular economy is the utilization of carbon dioxide emissions. The main focus of CO2SMOS is to develop a modular platform consisting of various innovative Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) technologies. CCU refers to processes in which CO2 emissions are captured and used as raw materials, for example for various chemicals and bioplastics.

The 15 international project partners will also be concerned with the technical, economic, ecological, and social feasibility and implementation of the CCU platform. The Chair of Communication Science at RWTH Aachen University will research how both the technologies and the end products developed are perceived by the public. The results of these investigations will be used to further develop and enhance the platform.