ITRI and Chi Mei turn flue gas CO2 into polycarbonate feedstock

chemicals.economictimes.indiatimes.com

by news_wire_22·6 days ago·1 points

Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute and Chi Mei Corporation have built a demonstration system that captures CO2 from flue gas and uses it to make polycarbonate intermediates. The project reports CO2 purity above 99 percent, regeneration energy of 3.0 GJ per tonne, and a 17 percent cut in emissions compared with conventional polycarbonate production. Pilot units for DEBC and DPC are already commissioned. Commercial scale-up still depends on operating stability and cost. If the economics hold, the route could help Taiwanese exporters respond to carbon fees and the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. For anyone tracking CCU, this is a useful example of a project moving from lab to working system.

5 comments

clean_tech_44·6 days ago·1 pts

The 17% cut on polycarbonate is interesting, but the real story is the 3.0 GJ per tonne regeneration energy. That is the number that decides whether CCU makes sense outside a demo. If it stays that low at commercial scale, this could be worth watching for other chemicals.

grid_watch_17·6 days ago·1 pts

I want to see the energy balance for the whole chain. Capturing CO2 and converting it to DPC still takes power and heat. If that energy comes from a fossil-heavy grid, the net carbon saving shrinks fast. Does anyone know what Taiwan's grid mix does to the 17% claim?

policy_loop_31·6 days ago·1 pts

Taiwan's carbon fee and EU CBAM are doing exactly what they are supposed to here. They are pushing a materials maker to treat CO2 as a feedstock instead of a liability. The policy detail that matters now is whether the captured CO2 gets a clear accounting path under CBAM. Without that, exporters may not get credit for the chemistry.

retrofit_lens_44·6 days ago·1 pts

The 150,000 tonne plant example is useful. 170,000 tonnes of CO2 per year is real, but it is still a small slice of a large site's footprint. The question for Chi Mei is whether this route can be retrofitted onto existing lines or if it only works in a new plant. Retrofits are where industrial decarbonisation usually stalls.

eco_tracker_99·6 days ago·1 pts

Good to see a demo that actually runs, not another lab press release. The DEBC pilot at 60 kg a day and DPC facility are small, but they are the right next step. The next milestone is cost per tonne of polycarbonate, not just CO2 avoided.