The WaterProof project proposes a resource efficient solution convert CO2 emissions from waste(water) processing into green consumer products. At the heart of the WaterProof concept is an electrochemical process that converts CO2, originating from waste incineration and wastewater processing, to produce formic acid. This reaction is paired with the generation of high-energy oxidants, which are used to remove persistent contaminants from wastewater thereby contributing to a clean water cycle with zero-waste. The energy to run the electrochemical process is provided by waste incineration facility. The formic acid is a feedstock for the production of Acidic Deep Eutectic Solvents (ADES). These ADES are used to extract precious metals from water treatment sludge and incinerator ash. Additionally, the formic acid is used for fish leather tanning to sustainably produce fish leather and will be tested in consumer cleaning products. The WaterProof technology results in a GHG reduction based on CO2 utilization, replacement of fossil feedstock and by industrial electrification. In the WaterProof project, a TRL 6 plant is constructed, including innovative downstream processing. The conversion of CO2 from wastewater treatment and the CO2 captured at a waste incinerator is demonstrated in two consecutive campaigns. To maximize impact of the WaterProof technology, life-cycle assessments and a full business case analysis are initiated in the early stage of the project to provide targets for technology development. A marketing and deployment strategy is developed to ensure social acceptance of the WaterProof technology. Besides the reduction of GHG emissions, WaterProof will have societal impact by, creating awareness trough interaction with policy makers and civil society and the creation of new jobs in innovative fields. By targeting an industry as essential as waste(water) treatment, WaterProof aims to create a concept that can impact society and climate on a big scale.

The FLEDGED project will deliver a process for Bio-based dimethyl Ether (DME) production from biomass. The FLEDGED project will combine a flexible sorption enhanced gasification (SEG) process and a novel sorption enhanced DME synthesis (SEDMES) process to produce DME from biomass with an efficient and low cost process. The primary aim of FLEDGED project is to develop a highly intensified and flexible process for DME production from biomass and validate it in industrially relevant environments. This objective will be accomplished by: - Experimental validation of the flexible SEG process at TRL5; - Experimental validation of the flexible SEDMES process at TRL5; - Evaluation of the full biofuel production chain from energy, environmental, economic, socio-economic and risk point of view; - Preparation of the ground for future exploitation of the results of the project beyond FLEDGED, by including in the consortium industrial partners along the whole biofuel production chain. By combining the SEG and the SEDMES processes, the FLEDGED project will validate a plant concept that: - is characterized by a tremendous process intensification: sorption of CO2 in the gasifier and of water in the DME reactor allows designing an overall process for DME production with only two fundamental steps and with reduced units for syngas conditioning - allows operating with a wide range of biomass feedstocks - will be more efficient than competitive processes and expected to have a lower cost, thanks to the reduced number of components, the avoidance or significant reduction of recycles and the avoidance of energy consuming and costly air separation and CO2 separation units - is capable of producing syngas with tailored composition by adapting the SEG process parameters, which allows coupling with an electrolysis system for converting excess intermittent renewable electricity into a high value liquid fuel