Carbon2Chem®, a groundbreaking initiative led by thyssenkrupp in collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion and the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT, entered its third phase and it recently received a €50 million grant that runs through 2028. The project, launched in 2016, aims to convert blast furnace gases from steel production into valuable chemicals for fuels, plastics, and fertilizers.

The third phase of the project centers on validating the developed solutions through practical applications, adapting gases for direct reduction in the steel industry, and conducting a comprehensive study of methanol and hydrogen.

During the project's second phase, researchers successfully proved that methanol can be produced at different CO/CO₂ ratios. They also confirmed that storing hydrogen in large caverns is the most effective approach, particularly in the northern Ruhr region. Additionally, alternative carbon sources, such as lime reduction, thermal waste treatment, and direct reduction, were validated as viable options for methanol production.