Unlocking the Future of the European Circular Economy: Factsheet on Carbon Capture and Utilisation by the WaterProof Research Project

In the quest towards a sustainable and economically strong Europe, the Horizon Europe project WaterProof is currently working on an elaborate carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) technology with the objective to close the wastewater carbon loop. The project’s CCU technology aligns with the recent Regulation (EU) 2024/1735, which aims to enhance Europe’s net-zero technology manufacturing ecosystem and underscore the urgency of transitioning to sustainable practices and technologies to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. In order to shed light on the role of CCU for emission reduction, mitigation of climate change and for the transformation of the chemical industry away from fossil feedstock, the EU funded research project WaterProof recently published a concise factsheet on CCU. The factsheet defines and explains CCU and its advantage over carbon capture and storage (CCS), describes strategies how to make CCU a sustainable technology and lists a variety of products that can be derived from carbon dioxide (CO₂). Furthermore, if offers a detailed overview over European legislation in support of CCU-technology.

Explore and download the full CCU factsheet here.

WaterProof (urban Waste and water Treatment Emission Reduction by utilizing CO₂ for the PROduction Of Formate derived chemicals) is currently developing a technology to use CO₂ emissions captured from waste(water) treatment facilities for the production of valuable consumer goods. Via an electrochemical process, CO₂ is converted into the base chemical formic acid that can be used as decalcifier in household cleaners, for tanning of (fish) leather and for the production of acidic deep eutectic solvents that are used for the recovery of precious metals from wasterwater sludge and incineration ash. This way, the WaterProof technology aims at emission reduction based on CCU, replacement of fossil with renewable feedstock, industrial electrification and closing the waste(water) carbon loop.

For more information on the WaterProof project and to access more factsheets, visit the WaterProof project website: https://waterproof-project.eu/

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Health and Digital Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.