German chemical industry study proposes fossil‑free feedstocks

A study commissioned by the IREES institute and conducted by the DEHEMA Society for Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology outlines pathways for the German chemical sector to replace natural gas and naphtha with alternative carbon sources. It identifies three main feedstock categories—captured CO₂ from point sources such as cement plants, biogenic resources from biogas and waste, and recovered plastics—and maps process chains for each, including power‑to‑X routes that convert CO₂ and green hydrogen into methanol and downstream chemicals, biomass gasification to synthesis gas, and thermochemical plastic recycling (e.g., pyrolysis) to cracker‑ready hydrocarbons.

The analysis compares the technical maturity, cost and energy savings of these pathways and highlights “efficiency procedures” that could lower raw‑material demand and emissions. It calls for targeted research, pilot‑scale demonstrations, and catalyst development to bring the most promising routes to industrial scale.