OCOchem partners with ADM to build Illinois CO2 conversion facility, transforming ethanol emissions into carbon-negative formates for industrial and consumer applications.
OCOchem, an emerging leader in CO2 electrolysis and carbon conversion technologies, has entered into a significant production partnership with ADM, a global pioneer in sustainable solutions derived from nature. Together, the companies will construct a first-of-its-kind field demonstration facility at ADM’s corn processing campus in Decatur, Illinois. The project will employ OCOchem’s Carbon FluX Electrolyzer technology to transform biogenic carbon dioxide captured from ADM’s ethanol production process into formate molecules—valuable building blocks for numerous industrial and consumer products.
Todd Brix, Co-Founder and CEO of OCOchem, highlighted the importance of the partnership, noting that it would accelerate the commercialization of their carbon-negative electrolysis process and address rising customer demand for sustainable formate products at competitive costs. Similarly, Kris Lutt, President of Sustainable Materials and Strategic Initiatives at ADM, emphasized that OCOchem’s technology supports ADM’s broader mission to lead in industrial carbon management while promoting sustainable chemical production. He pointed out that formates, when derived from CO2, could serve as affordable next-generation C1 platform chemicals to strengthen low-carbon supply chains and expand opportunities within the bio-based economy.
Carbon dioxide, the most abundant source of carbon on the planet, has traditionally been seen as a waste byproduct. However, OCOchem’s electrolysis process offers a cost-effective way to transform it into carbon-negative organic molecules. Under the agreement, OCOchem will deploy modular Carbon FluX electrolyzer systems within ADM’s existing facility, combining water with captured CO2 from ethanol streams to generate formates that can replace fossil-derived alternatives. Construction of the new facility is slated to begin later this year, with completion targeted for the end of 2026.
Beyond the facility, the collaboration extends to developing full value chains for formates and their derivatives—such as formic acid, ethyl formate, and potassium formate. These compounds have broad applications across industries including crop protection, fertilizers, biomass upgrading, de-icing solutions, water treatment, cleaning agents, syngas carriers, metal recovery, pharmaceuticals, and even flavors and fragrances.
Brix added that this facility would stand among the few scaled modular CO2 conversion plants worldwide. Its success would prove the technical and economic potential of using CO2 as a raw material in industrial production, effectively demonstrating a model for fast, modular industrial symbiosis. OCOchem’s electrolyzer technology integrates the world’s largest gas diffusion electrodes with an innovative co-current cell design, scaling to multiple stacks that allow for high productivity, exceptional Faradaic efficiency, full product selectivity, and zero waste output.
Since its laboratory launch in 2020, OCOchem has scaled its electrolyzer cells by 1500 times and achieved fourfold performance improvements, producing the largest and most efficient CO2 electrolyzer cell globally. Early support came from the U.S. Army Research Office, the Department of Energy, and ARPA-E. Most recently, OCOchem also completed a pilot-scale multi-stack electrolyzer system at its research center in Richland, Washington, marking a key milestone ahead of this large-scale collaboration with ADM.
