Carbon management is a central key to achieving climate targets and highlights the important role of mechanical and plant engineering in implementing appropriate solutions.
Current challenges such as climate change, automation and digitalization require a comprehensive transformation of our society and economy. The mechanical and plant engineering sector plays a central role in this. To make solutions from North Rhine-Westphalia visible, ProduktionNRW has established the event series “Enablers and pioneers: Mechanical engineering shapes the transformation”.
Enablers and pioneers: focus on carbon management solutions
On November 18, 2024, MAN Energy Solutions SE in Oberhausen hosted the event “Enablers and Pioneers: How Mechanical Engineering is Advancing Carbon Management”. Dr. Kirsten Bender, Head of Department at the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, and Florian Schiller, Site Manager Oberhausen at MAN Energy Solutions SE, opened the event with welcoming speeches and underlined the economic and ecological relevance of the topic for North Rhine-Westphalia as a business location.
Carbon management as a necessary lever for defossilization
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christian Doetsch, Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT, presented carbon management as a decisive lever for defossilization. Innovative technologies and systemic approaches enable the sustainable use of carbon and thus make a decisive contribution to reducing CO₂ emissions. Key building blocks are technologies such as:
- CO₂ capture and storage (carbon capture and storage, CCS)
- CO₂ utilization (carbon capture and utilization, CCU)
- Direct CO₂ removal from the atmosphere (Carbon Dioxide Removal, CDR)
These solutions are particularly indispensable for carbon-intensive industries such as cement production or petrochemicals. However, the challenges in Germany lie in the high costs of CO₂ technologies or the lack of storage infrastructure. Nevertheless, the expansion of transport infrastructure and the development of pipelines open up promising opportunities for the industry.
New business models through carbon management
Sebastian Steul, Technology and Innovation Officer at the VDMA Power Systems Association, highlighted the opportunities for carbon management in mechanical and plant engineering. The mechanical and plant engineering sector is a key player here, as the industry supplies innovative technologies and solutions that are essential for a climate-neutral economy.
By 2050, CO₂ markets could reach a volume of over 800 billion euros worldwide, with the EU alone accounting for a share of 90 billion euros. In order to serve this market, components such as compressors, pumps, heat exchangers and ventilation systems are needed to efficiently capture and use CO₂ – areas in which medium-sized mechanical and plant engineering companies can also develop business models as suppliers.
Practical examples: Carbon management in mechanical and plant engineering
Dr. Marco Ernst, Head of Sales & Project Management CCS at MAN Energy Solutions SE, began by emphasizing the central importance of sustainability in the company. Decarbonization and digitalization are the drivers of the strategic development towards becoming an energy solutions provider – carbon capture is a central pillar here.
However, the interaction of hydrogen and carbon dioxide is also particularly emphasized, as a coordinated ramp-up is required in order to be able to produce synthetic fuels, for example: Two practical examples of CCS in Rotterdam and Brevik (Norway), illustrate the practical feasibility of CCS plants. The project in Rotterdam, for example, shows how CO₂ is captured at several point sources in the port of Rotterdam, compressed and stored in offshore gas fields.
Frank Balzer, Director New Business at Air Liquide Deutschland GmbH, emphasized that Air Liquide is already a supplier of hydrogen and industrial gases for numerous customers in the energy-intensive primary industry. In the area of CCS in particular, the company has developed a large number of competitive technologies and comprehensive expertise along the entire CCS value chain. This was demonstrated using two practical examples in Wülfrath and Duisburg, North Rhine-Westphalia, which achieve high CO₂ capture rates. The inland port in Duisburg plays a key role here, serving as a logistical hub for transporting liquefied CO₂ to Rotterdam and storing it permanently in the North Sea.
Panel discussion: Carbon management along the value chain
The final discussion brought together leading experts to shed light on the potential and challenges of carbon management from different perspectives:
- Dr. Markus Röhner (Head of R&D Engineering, Large Trains & Screws and Integral Geared Compressors, as well as Site Manager Berlin MAN Energy Solutions SE) explained, among other things, how internal and external hurdles were overcome in the development of new business models for carbon management within the company.
- Frank Balzer showed, for example, what opportunities Air Liquide Germany sees in the area of carbon management and how the Rhine-Ruhr region and various industries, such as suppliers, could benefit from this.
- Florian Hildebrand (founder and CEO of Greenlyte Carbon Technologies GmbH) presented the importance of negative emissions through direct air capture and their potential for a climate-neutral economy.
- Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christian Doetsch rounded off the discussion by highlighting the long-term market opportunities for mechanical and plant engineering in a changing carbon market, for example.
- The discussion highlighted the importance of close cooperation along the value chain and innovative approaches for the successful implementation of carbon management solutions.
Outlook
The event series “Enablers and pioneers: mechanical engineering shapes the transformation” will be continued in order to address further topics such as energy efficiency, hydrogen and digitalization. The aim is to position North Rhine-Westphalia’s mechanical and plant engineering industry as a key sector for transformative solutions and business models.
Organizer
The event series is organized by ProduktionNRW. ProduktionNRW is the cluster for mechanical engineering and production technology in North Rhine-Westphalia and is organized by VDMA NRW. ProduktionNRW sees itself as a platform for networking, informing and marketing companies, institutions and networks with each other and along the value chain. Significant parts of the services provided by ProduktionNRW are funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.