At this first edition of decarbXpo, start-ups showcasing innovation related to decarbonisation came into special focus. The spectrum of solutions on display extended from hydrogen technologies to industrial heat in high temperature ranges to technologies for carbon dioxide capture.
"Start-ups can bring tremendous innovation to established industry to get decarbonisation projects off the ground quickly. decarbXpo provides us with an effective platform to bring established companies from a range of industries together with our young, innovative companies," explained Uwe Kerkmann, Managing Director of Europe's first hydrogen innovation hub, H2UB.
As part of a close cooperation with both the Economic Development Agency of the state capital Düsseldorf and the leading start-up network Plug and Play, the fair drew additional international start-ups as exhibitors and also as keynote speakers at the Forums.
"I was very pleased to see such great interest in innovation and cooperation at decarbXpo. Our start-ups met with potential industrial users, possible partners, and investors – a successful start for the event. We would also like to thank the Düsseldorf Economic Development Corporation for the opportunity to exhibit here," said Adrian Grussendorf, Co-Founder of the Plug and Play Sustainability NRW innovation platform.
In addition to young companies, established industrial suppliers also took advantage of the trade fair for networking and customer discussions related to industrial decarbonisation. The SMS group, for instance, a system supplier in the steel industry with a 150-year history, presented its solutions at the fair.
"Energy-intensive industries are facing perhaps the biggest change in their history. In the future, production processes will be required to be climate-neutral. The technologies needed for this transition must be made visible across all industries. This is exactly what decarbXpo achieved in a bundled form for the first time," said Burkhard Dahmen, CEO of the SMS group and Chairman of next year's leading trade fair METEC.