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How energy and chemistry converge for a fossil-free future

Mertens, Jan ; Breyer, Christian ; Belmans, Ronnie ; Gendron, Corinne ; Geoffron, Patrice ; Fischer, Carolyn ; Du Fornel, Elodie ; Ledent, Olivier ; Lester, Richard and Nicholas, Kimberly A. LU orcid , et al. (2025) In iScience 28(11).
Abstract

The chemical industry must undergo a dual transformation: electrifying energy use and defossilizing carbon feedstocks. This paper, developed by ENGIEs Scientific Council, examines how energy and chemistry can converge to enable this shift. We assess the roles of biomass, recycled plastics, and CO2 as sustainable carbon sources and explore the enabling potential of electrification, low-carbon hydrogen, and direct air capture. Novel process pathways and infrastructure scenarios are analyzed to highlight strategic opportunities for cross-sectoral collaboration. Our findings underscore the need for coordinated investment, policy support, and alignment with renewable energy geography to achieve a resilient, fossil-free future.

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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
earth sciences, energy policy, energy resources, energy sustainability, energy systems
in
iScience
volume
28
issue
11
article number
113787
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • pmid:41244582
  • scopus:105020093894
ISSN
2589-0042
DOI
10.1016/j.isci.2025.113787
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Publisher Copyright: © 2025
id
6d94f06e-463d-4af8-8940-2de0f7e953a8
date added to LUP
2025-12-11 09:19:02
date last changed
2026-01-08 12:23:04
@article{6d94f06e-463d-4af8-8940-2de0f7e953a8,
  abstract     = {{<p>The chemical industry must undergo a dual transformation: electrifying energy use and defossilizing carbon feedstocks. This paper, developed by ENGIEs Scientific Council, examines how energy and chemistry can converge to enable this shift. We assess the roles of biomass, recycled plastics, and CO<sub>2</sub> as sustainable carbon sources and explore the enabling potential of electrification, low-carbon hydrogen, and direct air capture. Novel process pathways and infrastructure scenarios are analyzed to highlight strategic opportunities for cross-sectoral collaboration. Our findings underscore the need for coordinated investment, policy support, and alignment with renewable energy geography to achieve a resilient, fossil-free future.</p>}},
  author       = {{Mertens, Jan and Breyer, Christian and Belmans, Ronnie and Gendron, Corinne and Geoffron, Patrice and Fischer, Carolyn and Du Fornel, Elodie and Ledent, Olivier and Lester, Richard and Nicholas, Kimberly A. and Megrelis, Laura and de Miranda, Paulo Emilio Valadão and Paton, Celine and Prudhomme, Alice and Verwee, Peter and Sala, Olivier and Webber, Michael and Debackere, Koenraad}},
  issn         = {{2589-0042}},
  keywords     = {{earth sciences; energy policy; energy resources; energy sustainability; energy systems}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{11}},
  number       = {{11}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{iScience}},
  title        = {{How energy and chemistry converge for a fossil-free future}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2025.113787}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.isci.2025.113787}},
  volume       = {{28}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}