This morning, the CO2-based Fuels and Chemicals Conference 2026 announced the six nominees for the “Best CO2 Utilisation 2026” Innovation Award, which is sponsored by YNCORIS and co-organised by CO2 Value Europe together with our member nova-Institut.
This year’s nominees showcase different technical routes for industrial CO₂ use, from electrochemical conversion and integrated capture-and-synthesis processes to direct air capture systems linked with chemical production.
The selected six nominees are:
Aerleum (FR) – Direct Carbon Utilisation Technology: converts atmospheric or industrial CO₂ into fuels and chemicals such as e-methanol using renewable energy. The carbon-neutral e-methanol offers a practical, scalable, and economically attractive pathway to decarbonise aviation, maritime shipping, and parts of the chemical industry.
CERT Systems (CA) – Air to Chemicals Technology: captures atmospheric CO₂ and converts it directly into ethylene in a single integrated process. The low-carbon ethylene enables cost-effective production of eSAF with low carbon intensity and low cost of carbon abatement.
CYNio (DE) – Specialty Isocyanates made from CO2: produces specialised isocyanates without using toxic gas phosgene. The technology enables safer and more sustainable production of tailored isocyanates, expanding access to products of a wide range (e.g. adhesives, coatings, & pharmaceuticals).
ICODOS (DE) – Cost-Competitive E-Methanol Production Through Interlinked CO2 Capture and Methanol Synthesis: combines CO₂ capture and methanol synthesis in a patented hybrid process to produce low-cost e-methanol. The energy-efficient, modular system enables flexible operation with renewable electricity and offers a scalable pathway to cost-competitive, low-carbon fuel production.
OCOchem (US) – OCOchem FluX Electrolyzer 400: regenerates captured CO₂ and water into sustainable formic acid or potassium formate using electrocatalysis. The modular system enables efficient and scalable production of carbon-negative formates. The first commercially available carbon-negative formates began shipping in October 2025 to 5 different customers.
RAPCO2 (IT) – BlueLeaf and eJungle: capture CO₂ from indoor air and convert it into acetate through a low-energy bioreactor process. The acetate can then be transformed into isopropyl alcohol (IPA), a safe, non-toxic eFuel, with a higher calorific value than others (e.g., methanol) and with greater potential for applications.
In a short 10-minute presentation, each of the six nominees will introduce their innovation on the first day of the conference (28 April). Following the presentations, the audience will choose the three winners, who will be presented with their awards at the Innovation Award Ceremony (likewise on 28 April), in the evening.
Please find more on the six technologies in the full press release here.
CO₂ Value Europe members are entitled to a special discount on registration. If you wish to claim or receive more information about the discount code, please contact Lili Chatzikonstantinou at lili.chatzikonstantinou@co2value.eu.
Please find more information about the conference here.
