Over the last few years Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) technologies have grown from initial stages to highly dynamic topics in research projects and industrial applications. Especially in the area of solar fuels, particularly power-to-fuel and power-to-gas technologies, considerable progress can be observed. Leading players of the CO₂ economy will showcase new and enhanced applications using carbon dioxide as feedstock at the third conference "CO₂ as Feedstock for Chemistry and Polymers", 2-3 December 2014, in the "Haus der Technik" in Essen, Germany. The conference will be one of the largest events on CCU in 2014. More than 300 participants from industry and research are expected.

Visions and political frameworks are a major topic in this field. At the conference Peter Styring from CO₂Chem Initiative will give an overview on international activities in CCU. Andreas Pilzecker from the European Commission will concentrate on carbon capture and use in EU policy. Lothar Mennicken from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) gives an update on the German R&D program for CO₂ utilisation. Other aspects as finding a suitable strategy and political framework for implementation will be shown by Michael Carus, Nova-Institute, and David Addison from Virgin Earth Challenge, who emphasizes CO₂ utilization's role in a sustainable future. Roger Lee from Tecnon Orbichem will round up the first session with an overview of CO₂-based chemicals development.

Particularly in the field of solar fuels and power-to-gas technologies several project developers and companies are concentrating on technologies to convert carbon dioxide to fuels. The conference will provide insight into technologies of carbon dioxide capture and purification as well as hydrogen generation with presentations from Linde Engineering, Climeworks, Sunfire and Hydrogenics Europe, also including the European project Solarogenix. The Technical University of Denmark, as one of the forerunners in the power-to-gas-technologies, will present their most recent activities in this field next to companies like NewCO₂Fuels, LanzaTech, BSE Engineering, and Phytonix Corporation.

Besides from energy activities several companies and research organisations are also working on production processes of chemicals and polymers from CO₂. Advances in these areas will be presented by one of the leading companies in commercial production of CO₂-based polymers, Novomer, and Bayer MaterialScience, which is building a production plant for polyurethanes based on carbon dioxide. Other companies that will present their activities in polymer and chemicals production at the conference are Econic Technologies, Liquid Light Corporation and Avantium. Dr. Derek Greenfield, Industrial Microbes, reports on upgrading CO₂ into chemicals via fermentation of engineered microbes and Katy Armstrong from the UK Centre for Carbon Dioxide Utilization reports on the European CCU project SCOT. To complete the picture Guido Saracco from the Politecnico di Torino, Italy, will give a presentation on recent activities in artificial photosynthesis processes in the fuel generation.