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DOE OSTI · 2587852

Transforming the Process Industries through Electrification: Challenges and Opportunities

Baldea, Michael [University of Texas at Austin, TX (United States)] (ORCID:0000000164000315)·Endler, Elizabeth E. [Shell International Exploration and Production, Houston, TX (United States)] (ORCID:0000000286454489)·Hale, Elaine [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)] (ORCID:0000000325710386)·Maravelias, Christos T. [Princeton University, NJ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000249291748)·Barolo, Massimiliano [University of Padova (Italy)] (ORCID:0000000281255704)·Harjunkoski, Iiro [Aalto University (Finland)] (ORCID:0000000304280751)·Mercangoz, Mehmet [Imperial College London (London)] (ORCID:0000000244490414)·Shah, Sirish L. [University of Alberta (Canada)]·Soroush, Masoud [Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA (United States)]·Young, Brent R. [The University of Auckland (New Zealand)]·Zhang, Qi [University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (United States)] (ORCID:0000000188624675)
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Abstract

For the more than 70 years, the process industries have provided essential fuels and materials for global growth. Increased manufacturing production comes with substantial environmental impact. Reducing environmental impact through process electrification, carbon capture, and other emerging technologies would require large changes throughout the process industries. We review opportunities and challenges related to electrification, focusing on technical, operational, and economic considerations. Here, we conclude that electrification could completely eliminate scope 1 CO 2 emissions, increase product quality, and reduce the equipment size and cost. On the other hand, it calls for a significant expansion of power generation capacity, as well as new paradigms for process design and operations.

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32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION36 MATERIALS SCIENCEIndustrial ManufacturingManufacturingMaterialsPowerSeparation Science

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Baldea, Michael [University of Texas at Austin, TX (United States)] (ORCID:0000000164000315), Endler, Elizabeth E. [Shell International Exploration and Production, Houston, TX (United States)] (ORCID:0000000286454489), Hale, Elaine [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)] (ORCID:0000000325710386), Maravelias, Christos T. [Princeton University, NJ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000249291748), Barolo, Massimiliano [University of Padova (Italy)] (ORCID:0000000281255704), Harjunkoski, Iiro [Aalto University (Finland)] (ORCID:0000000304280751), Mercangoz, Mehmet [Imperial College London (London)] (ORCID:0000000244490414), Shah, Sirish L. [University of Alberta (Canada)], Soroush, Masoud [Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA (United States)], Young, Brent R. [The University of Auckland (New Zealand)], Zhang, Qi [University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (United States)] (ORCID:0000000188624675). 2025-07-29. Transforming the Process Industries through Electrification: Challenges and Opportunities. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.iecr.5c01256

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