Turning Electricity into Gas – How CO₂ Can Become an Energy Carrier

Industrial electrification is advancing quickly, but in practice not every industrial process can be electrified directly. Many industries still rely on high-temperature processes, existing combustion systems and large production assets that are difficult or expensive to replace.

Because of this, we also need solutions that connect renewable electricity, existing industrial infrastructure and CO₂ utilization in practical ways.

At Reduciner, our technology is built around a simple idea. Carbon dioxide can be converted into carbon monoxide using electricity and biogenic carbon. In this process, electrical energy is turned into chemical energy stored in gas form.

An endothermic reaction stores energy 

Reduciner’s process is based on thermochemical CO₂ reduction. In the reaction, carbon dioxide reacts with solid carbon to form carbon monoxide: 

CO₂ + C → 2CO 

The reaction requires energy to happen. In our process, that energy comes from electricity, which drives the conversion of carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide.

What makes this interesting is that the process does more than consume electricity. It transforms electricity into a gaseous energy carrier that can be stored and used later in industrial processes.

Part of the electrical energy is effectively stored in the chemical energy of the CO gas itself. That makes carbon monoxide not only a reaction product, but also a practical way to transfer and utilize energy in industry.

A practical route for industrial electrification

Direct electrification is not always realistic for existing industrial plants. Replacing furnaces, kilns or entire process lines with fully electric systems can require major investments and significant operational changes.

If electricity is first converted into combustible gas, much more of the existing infrastructure can remain in use. CO gas can be utilized in burners and industrial heating systems where gaseous fuels are already widely used and well understood.

In this model, renewable electricity enters the industrial system through gas instead of only through direct electric heating or electric furnaces. The electricity is converted into chemical energy that can be transported, stored and used when needed.

This approach can be especially useful in facilities that are already designed around gas flows, burners and high-temperature combustion. Instead of rebuilding the entire process, the energy source itself can be changed.

Turning CO₂ into a usable raw material 

Carbon dioxide is usually treated as an emission that needs to be avoided, captured or stored. We see another possibility as well. CO₂ can also serve as a raw material.

When carbon dioxide is converted into carbon monoxide, it becomes part of an industrial value chain. CO can be used as a fuel, but it can also act as a feedstock in syngas-based production processes, including methanol, synthetic fuels and various chemicals.

The process can also utilize biogenic carbon instead of fossil-based carbon sources. That makes the technology especially relevant for industries aiming to reduce fossil fuel use and make better use of their existing CO₂ streams.

The value is not only in lowering emissions. It is also in creating a practical use for captured carbon dioxide within industry itself.

Scaling the technology for industry 

From our perspective, one of the biggest strengths of the technology is how well it fits existing industrial processes. Instead of rebuilding an entire production route, CO₂ can be captured, converted into CO gas and fed back into the process as either energy or feedstock.

This is particularly relevant for industries that require very high temperatures and where emissions are partly caused by process chemistry itself. Sectors like lime, cement, steel, chemicals and fuel production all need solutions that can work within real industrial conditions.

For us, the next step is clear. The focus is now on moving from laboratory and pilot environments toward full industrial scale.

Scaling is not only about building a larger reactor. It also means developing a complete process that is reliable, safe and capable of continuous operation in demanding industrial environments.

That work includes feedstock handling, reactor engineering, gas cooling and cleaning, process control, safety systems and integration with existing production sites. These are the practical details that ultimately determine whether a promising technology can succeed at industrial scale.

The next phase of electrification 

Industrial electrification is not only about replacing everything with direct electric heating. In many cases, it can also mean converting electricity into chemical energy that existing industrial systems can already use efficiently.

We see Reduciner’s technology as one possible pathway for that transition. It combines renewable electricity, CO₂ utilization and existing industrial infrastructure in a way that can make emissions reductions more practical and faster to implement.

Electricity can be stored not only in batteries, but also in gas. And when that gas is produced from carbon dioxide, emissions can become part of the solution instead of just a problem to manage.

By Sampsa Vuori, COO and Co-Founder, Reduciner