Joint Seminar of BMBF and Siemens

CO₂ Utilisation Potential

22/23 September 2009, Steigenberger Grandhotel Petersberg, Bonn



From 22 to 23 September the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and Siemens AG invited international experts from science and industry to a joint seminar on the topic of "CO₂ Utilisation Potential".

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research follows a clear strategic approach in the development of climate protection technologies. The focus is on avoiding carbon dioxide emissions and on underground CO₂ storage. The German science and industry sectors play an outstanding role in these efforts. As an integrated technology company offering a broad range of products and solutions, Siemens is developing and selling a large variety of energy-efficient, low-carbon technologies.

Another strategy pursued is the use of carbon dioxide as a raw material. Only increasing research efforts will help us understand how much we can rely on this third pillar of climate protection:

Where do science and industry see the largest potential of CO₂ utilisation? To what extent can this be expanded? What breakthroughs must be achieved to ensure the exploitation of such potential?

At this seminar the experts discussed the following aspects:

1. CO₂ utilisation on the basis of biological processes (e. g. microalgae, artificial photosynthesis)
2. Inorganic CO₂ utilisation, mineralisation
3. Alternative fuels and energy sources for industry and transport.

Key questions and objectives of the seminar were the following:

1. What are the current and future potentials of CO₂ utilisation for climate protection and where can these potentials be realised?
2. Where do we need breakthroughs to tap or even expand the potential of CO₂ utilisation? Where do problems in science, industry, society and politics arise and what is the need for action for these actors?
3. Where are the biggest research needs today and in the future? In which fields do we already have reached a high level and therefore, no current need for more research? Are there any other promising approaches that might be worth looking at?
   
   

For the programme and presentations please click here.

The following BMBF publication provides a summary of the seminar
CO₂ Utilisation Potential (1,8 MB)