Fossil resources such as oil, gas, and coal are depleting, which implies that alternative technologies have to be developed to satisfy the demand of Nordic societies for fuels as well as for the thousands of products made out of oil, such as plastics, pharmaceuticals, and paints. In analogy to photosynthetic processes in nature, CO2 can be employed as an alternative carbon source in chemical, pharmaceutical, and energy-related industries to synthesize essential substances. CO2 is a sustainable and cheap raw material, but the development of chemical processes for efficient and selective conversion of CO2 to desired products is a major challenge.
To accelerate developments in this area, it is important that researchers from different countries cooperate closely. The ‘Nordic Consortium for CO2 Conversion’ unites 12 research groups from nine Nordic universities: Uppsala University, Stockholm University, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Aarhus University, University of Iceland, Helsinki University, University of Oslo, University of Tromsø, and University of Bergen.
All consortium members have unique expertise on conversion of CO2, for example via electrochemical, metal-catalyzed, or light-catalyzed processes. By combining these excellent Nordic research environments, new innovative technologies for CO2 conversion will be developed. The consortium will provide interdisciplinary research and training activities for PhDs and postdocs, including joint PhD courses, Summer schools, and a novel inter-Nordic mobility program. In order to convey the importance of performing research on alternative carbon sources, the consortium members will actively reach out to Nordic societies, industries, and policymakers.
