IsoPROPEL · CARBON-NEUTRAL PRODUCTION AND DIRECT FUEL-CELL DEPLOYMENT OF ISOPROPANOL AS ENERGY CARRIER

The use of condensed, synthetic energy carriers offers a prominent solution to decarbonizing heavy-duty transport, such as waterborne mobility. Fuel cells offer superior efficiency and emissions reduction over internal combustion engines for onboard energy retrieval. Hydrogen is considered the major contender energy carrier for fuel cell propulsion, but high compression costs and costly infrastructure for safe storage and bunkering in compressed or liquefied forms hinder widespread adoption. Methanol emerged as an alternative, enabling onboard hydrogen generation via reformers integrated with hydrogen fuel cells. However, its use releases significant amounts of CO2. IsoPROPEL aims to revolutionize this paradigm by pioneering the synthesis of isopropyl alcohol (IPA) as a renewable e-fuel of non-biological origin. Leveraging recent breakthroughs by the partners in electrified chemical-looping and tandem catalysis, an innovative process to selectively produce IPA from CO2 and renewable hydrogen will be validated at TRL4. Additionally, IsoPROPEL will advance the direct isopropanol fuel cell (DIFC) to TRL4 after developing fuel cell components with enhanced tolerance to this cell’s unconventional working medium. This emerging fuel cell technology enables direct energy recovery from liquid IPA via selective electro-dehydrogenation to acetone (ACE), eliminating CO2 emissions onboard and the need for alcohol reformers. It also enables seamless cycling between ACE (discharged) and IPA (charged) energy carrier forms via mild hydrogenation “recharging,” without pressurized or liquefied hydrogen throughout fuel synthesis, use, and recycling. Inland waterway transport serves as a test case. IsoPROPEL will optimize e-fuel production, DIFC integration with ship powertrains, and double-liquid fuel logistics. Techno-economic and life-cycle analyses in EU inland shipping corridors will assess the feasibility and sustainability of this renewable energy carrier for DIFC-powered vessels