European cities release substantial greenhouse gases. Waste incineration and wastewater treatment are significant municipal CO2 contributors in the EU.
These systems are crucial for health and urban living but emit challenging-to-reduce gases. What if this CO2 was not wasted?
An international research team sees an opportunity in urban carbon. Through the EU-funded WaterProof initiative, they’re working to capture and convert CO2 into formic acid, a versatile chemical for various industries.
This could transform emissions from waste processes into common products like cleaning agents or even leather goods.
Transforming a challenge into an asset
Climate action often targets renewable energy, electrification, and efficiency, but some emissions are tough to curb.
“Some emissions are difficult to stop,” said Annelie Jongerius, an electrochemist and Avantium programme manager, leading the research.
One approach is CO2 capture and underground storage. The WaterProof team proposes a circular method: reusing carbon instead of storing it.
“It would be nicer if we could use it,” Jongerius said. “We also need alternatives to fossil feedstocks for chemical production.”
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If you take CO2 from wastewater, turn it into a product, and then use that product to clean your toilet so it flows back into the wastewater system, you create a complete loop.
Facilities like those at Dutch waste company HVC, operating two large incinerators in the Netherlands, face this challenge.
“We have to take in whatever waste society produces,” said Jan Peter Born, HVC’s innovation manager. “We can’t regulate CO2 emissions, only encourage less consumption and more recycling.”
HVC currently captures and sells CO2 to greenhouse farmers to boost crop yields. However, this is not a complete solution.
“Most CO2 released to the plants ends up back in the air,” Born explained, noting it’s a delayed emission and that farmers achieve the reduction by avoiding gas-fired CO2 production.
The WaterProof researchers aim to extend this by turning carbon into long-lasting useful products.
Converting CO2 into household products
Central to WaterProof is an electrochemical process that turns captured CO2 into formic acid using renewable electricity.
“It’s one of the simplest conversions,” said Jongerius.
An electric current in a cell reduces CO2 to formic acid, utilizing renewable energy and reducing fossil raw material dependency.
The process might have extra benefits. In an electrochemical cell, dual reactions occur at both electrodes. While focusing on CO2 conversion, the team also explores reactions producing hydrogen peroxide and related compounds.
These substances can break down tough pollutants in wastewater, like pharmaceutical and pesticide residues. However, this part remains in early stages and isn’t in the current system demo.
The team tests CO2-derived formic acid in eco-friendly cleaners like toilet and surface cleaners.
“It performs exactly as conventional formic acid,” said Jongerius. “It’s the same molecule.”
Beyond cleaning, the project explores CO2-derived formic acid in leather tanning. It applies to all leather types, and they’re working with Icelandic company Nordic Fish Leather to market eco-friendly fish leather, a sustainable alternative to cattle-based leather.
Scaling for real impact
Though promising, scaling is the next hurdle.
Building on past EU research, the team is developing a large-scale pilot with multiple stacked electrochemical cells to increase CO2 processing. Success could lead to commercial plants.
The adaptable modular design suits various sites, from wastewater plants to incinerators. The goal is to demonstrate the WaterProof process by summer 2026, showing fossil-free production under real conditions.
Such systems could integrate into urban infrastructure, turning cities into chemical production hubs instead of emission sources.
Extracting value
Comments
20 responses to “Transforming Urban Waste CO2 into Valuable Consumer Goods”
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Transforming trash into trendy cleaning products—who knew our waste could be so chic? Next, they’ll be selling “toilet fresheners” made from yesterday’s leftovers! 😂💩
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Turning our urban waste CO2 into cleaning products? Brilliant! Nothing says “fresh” like scrubbing your loo with something that started its journey in the depths of refuse. 🧼💩
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Turning urban waste CO2 into consumer goods? Brilliant! Next, we’ll be brewing coffee from exhaust fumes. Cheers to a future where our trash cleans our toilets! 😂💩
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Turning our urban waste into cleaning products? Brilliant! Next, let’s just bottle that fresh city smell and sell it as perfume—might as well cash in on the charm of the sewage! 😂💧
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Turning urban waste CO2 into consumer goods? Brilliant! Next up, we’ll be using our old socks to make designer shoes. 🤷♂️🧦
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Isn’t it just grand that we can now clean our loos with the very same CO2 we’ve carelessly belched into the air? 🤦♂️ Next, we’ll be brewing coffee from our car exhaust—talk about a full circle!
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Turning rubbish into cleaning supplies? Brilliant! Next, they’ll be selling us air fresheners made from our own exhaust fumes! 😂💨
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Oh, brilliant! Who knew our city’s trash could double as a cleaning product? Talk about recycling – next thing you know, we’ll be scrubbing our toilets with last week’s takeaway! 😂
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Turning urban waste CO2 into consumer goods? Brilliant! Who knew that while cleaning our toilets, we could also be giving Mother Nature a cheeky wink! 😂
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Turning CO2 from our toilets into cleaning products? Brilliant! Next, they’ll be telling us to save on detergent by just flushing more often. 😏💩
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Turning our beloved urban waste into cleaning products? Brilliant! Next, they’ll have us polishing our shoes with last week’s leftovers—talk about recycling! 😂
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Isn’t it just brilliant? Turn your toilet cleaner into a fancy leather handbag, all while saving the planet – talk about a circular economy! 😂💼
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Right, so we’re turning our ‘lovely’ urban CO2 into cleaning products—how quaint! 🧼 Why bother with all that pesky recycling when you can just clean your toilet with fumes from yesterday’s dinner? Genius, truly. 😏
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Turning rubbish into leather goods? Brilliant! Next stop, a pair of shoes made from last week’s pizza leftovers—now that’s sustainability with a side of Italian flair! 🍕👞
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Turning urban waste CO2 into consumer goods? Brilliant! Just when you thought your toilet could only smell like, well, a toilet, now it can also double as a chemical factory. Who needs fancy perfumes when you can spritz on the essence of formic acid? 😂
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Turning waste CO2 into cleaning products? Brilliant! Next, I suppose we’ll be pressing our suits from the air we breathe. 😂
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If turning waste CO2 into cleaning products isn’t the future we all dreamed of, then I don’t know what is! Just imagine, scrubbing your toilet with a little urban pollution—talk about a full circle moment, eh? 😂
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Fancy turning your trash into treasure? Next thing you know, we’ll be cleaning our toilets with yesterday’s leftover carbon, and who doesn’t want a nice whiff of eco-friendly formic acid while scrubbing? 😂
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Turning our urban waste into cleaning agents and leather goods? Brilliant! Next, perhaps we’ll find a way to extract gourmet meals from our leftovers. 🍽️😂
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Just what we need—turning our rubbish CO2 into cleaning agents! Next, maybe we can turn our politicians’ hot air into something useful, like hot chocolate! 🍫🤣
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