Capture and electroCONVERsion of CO2 to eThylene via an all-in-one device using Ionic LiquidSbroad
CONVERT-IL · Horizon Europe grant · 2026-10-01–2029-09-30
EC contribution
Total cost
Beneficiaries
About the data
Source: CORDIS (official EU open data), Horizon Europe. Framework HORIZON · call HORIZON-EIC-2025-PATHFINDERCHALLENGES-01 · scheme HORIZON-EIC · topic HORIZON-EIC-2025-PATHFINDERCHALLENGES-01-04. CORDIS record →
Objective
The transition to a sustainable circular economy requires not only decarbonizing energy production but also rethinking carbon sourcing and material inputs for fuels, chemicals, and advanced materials. Conventional recycling faces limitations, while emerging industrial approaches offer new ways to transform waste into valuable resources. CO2 conversion into chemicals, fuels, polymers, and minerals remains limited. A 2023 report estimates a production capacity of 1.3Mt CO2/year, compared to 50-60Mt CO2 captured globally. Ethylene (C2H4) is a high-value target, mainly for PET packaging, agricultural, pharmaceutical, and construction applications.Current industrial ethylene production relies on petroleum or natural gas via steam cracking, following a linear carbon economy. Zero-carbon CO2-based routes are under development, typically involving four steps: capture, desorption, electro-conversion to CO, and conversion to C2+ molecules. These are limited by energy intensity, catalyst efficiency, feedstock variability, scalability and economic factors. CONVERT-IL aims to simplify this route by eliminating two steps and using ionic liquids as a single chemical vector for both capture and electro-conversion, creating an all-in-one device. Ionic liquids provide electrochemical stability, ionic conductivity, tunable CO2 solubility, and low vapor pressure, enabling efficient capture and recycling. Iolitec will design the IL composition, fine-tuned with SINTEF’s machine learning, while CEA will develop a compatible catalyst for selective CO2-to-C2H₄ conversion. eChemicles will develop and scale an IL-compatible electrolyser, and EKIUM will perform techno-economic and life-cycle analyses. The project will demonstrate feasibility with industrial CO2 and assess scalability, economic viability, and environmental performance.
Beneficiaries (6)
| Organisation | Country | Role | EC contribution | SME |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| COMMISSARIAT A L ENERGIE ATOMIQUE ET AUX ENERGIES ALTERNATIVES | FR | coordinator | €1,154,136 | |
| SINTEF AS | NO | participant | €1,248,632 | |
| ECHEMICLES ZARTKORUEN MUKODO RESZVENYTARSASAG | HU | participant | €492,750 | Yes |
| IOLITEC IONIC LIQUIDS TECHNOLOGIES GMBH | DE | participant | €408,962 | Yes |
| ABGI FRANCE | FR | participant | €382,054 | Yes |
| EKIUM | FR | thirdParty | €0 |
Get the EU Defence Funding Calendar — free
The full calendar of open EU defence and dual-use funding calls, sorted by deadline, updated nightly. Delivered with DFM Analysis, our weekly briefing on who is funding what in European defence.
Or browse all open defence & dual-use calls on the funding calendar →
Defence Finance Monitor is an analytical and informational product. Grant data is official CORDIS; the paid Annual Professional subscription is handled on DFM Analysis.