ENTEG Researchers participate in a €45.7 Million National Initiative for Sustainable Chemistry with Green Hydrogen

The Engineering and Technology institute Groningen (ENTEG) is making a significant contribution to HyCARB, a major research programme funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO) and the National Growth Fund (NGF) under the GroenvermogenNL initiative. With a total investment of €45.7 million, HyCARB aims to transform the chemical industry by developing sustainable processes that convert CO₂ and industrial waste gases into valuable fuels and materials—using green hydrogen or renewable energy.

Driving Innovation in Green Chemistry
The chemical sector is one of the largest consumers of fossil resources and a significant source of CO₂ emissions. To ensure a competitive and sustainable future, the industry must transition to renewable feedstocks and energy. HyCARB brings together universities, research institutes, and industrial partners to accelerate this shift, focusing on thermal and electrochemical CO₂ conversion technologies.

University of Groningen’s Role: Catalysts, Reactors, and Electrochemical Solutions

University of Groningen was represented by Prof. Paolo Pescarmona (ENTEG) and Prof. Moniek Tromp (Zernike institute of Advanced Material) in the workshops which led to the successful HyCarb programme. ENTEG researchers are participating in key topics of HyCARB, with approximately €1.6 million allocated to the University of Groningen. This funding will support the appointment of two PhD candidates and two postdoctoral fellows, who will focus on advancing catalyst development, reactor design, and electrochemical processes for sustainable chemical production. One PhD candidate, supervised by Dr. Jingxiu Xie, will work on thermal-catalytic technologies for the production of synthetic fuels. The other PhD candidate and postdocs, supervised by Prof. Paolo Pescarmona, and Dr. Vassilis Kyriakou (ENTEG), in collaboration with Prof. Aravind Purushothaman Vellayani (Energy and Sustainability Research Institute Groningen), will work on innovative solutions to bridge fundamental research and industrial applications for electro-catalytic CO2 conversion.

A Collaborative Effort for a Sustainable Future
HyCARB is a national collaboration involving nine universities, five universities of applied sciences, three research institutes, and thirty companies. The University of Groningen’s participation underscores its commitment to advancing sustainable industrial solutions through innovation, collaboration, and education.

For more information, visit the NWO announcement.