Brussels, March 26–27, 2025 – European Commission Joint Research Centre

Renewable Carbon and Direct Air Capture: Driving Innovation for a Sustainable Chemical Industry

SolDAC is helping transform Europe’s energy and chemical sectors through sustainable innovation and scalable technologies.

SolDAC was proud to be part of “Sustainability meets Scalability: Joint EIC-SUNERGY Roadmapping event on Renewable Hydrogen, Fuels And Chemicals”, a dynamic event co-organised by the the European Innovation Council (EIC) in collaboration with the SUNERGY Initiative, imec (Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre) and SolDAC, S2B and SUNER-C projects .

Hosted at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Brussels, the two-day event brought together a vibrant mix of stakeholders from across academia, industry, start-ups, and policy institutions. The aim: to accelerate the transformation of Europe’s energy and chemical sectors through sustainable innovation and scalable technologies.

Scientific Innovation for Real-World Application

As a key Horizon Europe project driving innovation in solar-driven direct air capture and conversion technologies, SolDAC played an active role in shaping and enriching the dialogue at this major industry event.

Throughout the event, SolDAC showcased its commitment to bridging scientific innovation with real-world application, highlighting its work on renewable carbon and direct air capture for use in sustainable fuels and chemicals. These solutions are essential pillars of the green transition.

The project’s industrial outreach and stakeholder engagement strategy has laid the groundwork for strong collaborations with key actors across the value chain.

Strategic Engagement Across Industry and Policy

Notably, SolDAC has engaged with:

• ENGIE, TOTAL, and LyondellBasell on early-stage technology interest and potential scale-up.
• Regulatory and industrial associations such as CO2Value Europe, CEFIC, P4P, and Carbon Gap, ensuring alignment with the evolving policy landscape.
• Cleantech innovators like TURN2X, Solar Foods, and Matteco, uncovering synergy potential in CCU, electrochemistry, and synthetic fuels.
• European research networks, including ICIQ, ITQ, UJI, and the SUNERGY initiative, reinforcing the scientific foundation behind SolDAC’s renewable carbon and direct air capture solutions.

A United Research Community for Climate Goals

The event also fostered meaningful exchanges with EU sister projects such as ANEMEL, MacGhyver, PhotoSynH2, EPOCH, OPHERA, ELOBIO, S2B, Mi-Hy, SolarFoods, DAM4CO2, and TURN2X — demonstrating the collective strength of Europe’s research community in developing scalable, sustainable solutions for the energy transition.

Scaling Up CCUS: From Pilots to Industrial Impact

The co-creation workshop organized at the end of the event identified a top priority: scaling up CCUS technologies from pilot projects to full industrial deployment. This must be backed by urgent funding and support for first-of-a-kind plants.

Industry leadership, especially from large players, is essential to drive adoption and build market confidence. Furthermore, clear regulations, cost-competitive products, and integration with existing infrastructure are key to making carbon capture and utilization (CCU) truly viable.

Participants also emphasized the importance of public trust, transparent communication, and sustainability to ensure long-term success.

SolDAC’s Ongoing Commitment

SolDAC was honored to contribute to these strategic conversations and further its mission of building industrially viable pathways for renewable hydrogen and carbon-neutral chemicals. Events like this reinforce the importance of collaboration across sectors and borders, as we work together to deliver on Europe’s Green Deal and climate neutrality targets.

A heartfelt thanks goes to the European Innovation Council, especially Carina Faber, Johannes Bunz, and Michiel Scheffer, for their leadership and vision, and to our engaged stakeholders — Frédéric Chandezon (EU SUNERGY Initiative), Alexis Dunand (Carbon Gap), Steven Peleman (Triple Helix), Liesbet Boogaerts (BlueChem), Tudy Bernier (CO2Value Europe), Ludo Diels (P4P), and Sophie Wilmet (CEFIC) — for sharing their expertise and insights.

SolDAC remains committed to advancing renewable carbon and direct air capture technologies, forging impactful connections, and driving climate action.

Let’s keep the momentum going. The future of green energy and renewable chemistry is not just promising—it’s already in the making.