Hürth, May 7, 2025 – The “Best CO₂ Utilisation 2025” Innovation Award recognized three standout companies—UP Catalyst, Far Eastern New Century Corporation (FENC), and Oxylus Energy—for transforming carbon emissions into valuable products at the CO₂-based Fuels and Chemicals Conference held in Cologne and online.
UP Catalyst (Estonia) won first prize for its low-energy method of converting CO₂ into battery-grade graphite using molten salt electrochemical technology—setting new efficiency standards in material production.
FENC (Taiwan) received second place for creating the world’s first CO₂-based non-isocyanate polyurethane (NIPU), offering a safer and sustainable alternative for applications in footwear and textiles.
Oxylus Energy (USA) secured third place with its electrolyser that directly converts industrial CO₂ emissions into green methanol using just water and renewable electricity, supporting carbon-neutral fuel production.
These innovations mark major progress toward reducing fossil dependence and enabling a circular carbon economy. The awards were co-organized by nova-Institut and CO₂ Value Europe with support from Yncoris.