From the idea to marketability

Shaping future together

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CreativeQuantum, Likat
New Methanol Synthesis
INERATEC
Scalable Container
AK Apfel
Stoneage Electrocatalysis

New Methanol Synthesis

CreativeQuantum is a globally unique CRO that supports research and development departments of companies with the help of quantum mechanical simulations to analyze existing production processes or materials at the atomic level and to evaluate knowledge-based improvement opportunities. CreativeQuantum has the essential many years of experience from software to hardware to chemistry in order to use this technology in the most efficient way. The new approach to methanol production is further evidence of the usefulness of this technology.


The Leibniz Institute for Catalysis (LIKAT) is one of the most important institutions in catalysis research in Europe with Prof. Dr. Matthias Beller as institute director. Over 60 years of know-how in catalysis forms the basis of the Leibniz Institute for Catalysis at the University of Rostock. The Leibniz Institute for Catalysis is one of the largest publicly funded research institutes in the field of applied catalysis in Europe. His expertise is both methodological and material.

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Through the collaboration of Prof. Matthias Beller and Dr. Marek Checinski developed a promising catalyst system together in record time. This was achieved through the quantum chemical research at CreativeQuantum, as well as through targeted wet chemical research in the laboratory. In an exceptionally short time of approximately 6 weeks, the new promising manufacturing process was confirmed in the laboratory.


The new methanol synthesis process was filed in 2018 by CreativeQuantum and LIKAT for a patent application. The patent is expected to be granted in the next few months. Further research into this invention in the E4MeWi project is to be expanded into a patent family.

Scalable Container

Since 2016 INERATEC offers solutions from pilot application to chemical plant construction in series in the area of Power-to-X and Gas-to-Liquid applications. Hydrogen from renewable electricity and greenhouse gases such as CO2 are converted into e-kerosene, CO2-neutral gasoline, clean diesel or synthetic waxes, methanol or SNG (Synthetic Natural Gas).


The core of the technology are innovative, microstructured reactors. These offer high load flexibility and fast start-up and shut-down times. Therefore, the reactors are ideally suited for fluctuating renewable energy applications, e.g. wind or solar. In addition, this reactor concept enables a cost-efficient, modular numbering-up approach instead of a risky technology scale-up: instead of a traditional scale-up, standardized modules are multiplied to achieve higher capacities.

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As an alternative to the homogeneous methanol synthesis investigated so far, we will develop a heterogeneously catalyzed route for methanol production, which will take place in microstructured reactors. This process has already been demonstrated on laboratory scale for the production from mixtures of CO2/H2 as well as CO/H2.


Stoneage Electrocatalysis

The research group of Professor Ulf-Peter Apfel at the Ruhr University Bochum and the Fraunhofer Institute UMSICHT have been working for some time on the establishment of new catalyst systems based on metal sulfides and suitable electrodes/reactors for the production of hydrogen and the reduction of CO2.


With the help of CreativeQuantum's simulations we were able to develop a new system for electrolytic water splitting, which was also filed for patent.

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Furthermore, we found that in the reduction of CO2, not only the catalyst controls the CO2 reduction, but mainly the process conditions. Among other things, conductive nickel/iron sulfides, which are stable against common industrial catalyst poisons, have already been successfully used for the electrochemical generation of synthesis gas from CO2 and water. A great success for CO electrolysis.


We want to apply and further develop these findings within E4MeWi in order to realize an efficient process for methanol production.