Carbon dioxide (CO2)’s evolution from waste to circular value is raising concerns about the pace of transition. European supply chains face instability amid rising demand, highlighting the urgency for diversification and optimisation.
gasworld’s European CO2 Summit 2024 aims to address these issues and chart a sustainable path forward.
While recent market stability persists, the CO2 sector must prioritise supply chain diversification to prepare for future disruptions. Continued focus on decarbonisation is essential, reframing challenges as opportunities for growth.
‘Enabling the future together’ was the message voiced by event sponsor Nippon Gases in the opening keynote of day one.
The changing CO2 supply chain: looking to the future
Founder of boutique consulting firm Carbonic Solutions and Managing Director at BioCarbonics Ltd, Christopher Carson, outlined the main areas of existing demandfor CO2 utilisation.
Strong demand (around 70%) is driven by food & beverage applications. Some demand is going away due to price and availability of liquid CO2 (LCO2), which has ushered in the use of alternative gases like nitrogen in chilling and freezing.
New demand is emerging in the dry ice market, spurred by e-commerce applications like fresh pet food and premium food products. Additionally, advancements in technology, particularly in on-site production and ice blasting applications, are driving demand.
“All of that has more than offset some of the loss we’ve seen and added to that base growth that we see in the F&B market,” he said.
Emerging markets such as green fuels, SAF, bio-plastics and green cement are being driven by the decarbonisation of industry in addition to factors such as price, supply and quality rather than purity.
“Availability and cost is critical for these applications.”
Emerging applications fuel competition for supply sources, with biogenic CO2 gaining prominence. Structural shifts indicate a departure from traditional supply models. Read more...
source: gasworld.com
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