CONDOR

GOALS

CONDOR focuses on the production of fuels by using carbon dioxide (CO₂) as a feedstock and sunlight as the sole energy source.

The project proposes a photosynthetic device made of two compartments (a) a photoelectrochemical cell that splits water and CO2 and generates oxygen and syngas, a mixture of H2 and CO; (b) a (photo)reactor that converts syngas into methanol and dimethylether (DME), via bi-functional heterogeneous catalysts. The final target is a full photosynthetic device with 8% solar-to-syngas and 6% solar-to-DME efficiencies with three-months continuous outdoor operation. The process will contribute to the decarbonization of the economy, curtailing our dependence on fossil fuels as sources of carbon. The overall system will have a low-environmental impact, thanks to the use of earth abundant elements in catalyst/electrodes and of low energy/low temperature routes for their production.

In the CONDOR project, ISOF is a partner in a multidisciplinary consortium of academic and industrial organizations coordinated by the University of Bologna.