This research project endeavours to pioneer a biological solution for mitigating carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from effluent gases produced by bioenergy combustion systems. The primary focus is on converting the captured CO2 into carbon-negative energy carriers, specifically emphasizing the photosynthetic conversion of biogenic CO2 into energy-rich biomass. The transformation of this biomass into widely used renewable energy carriers, such as biocrude and biogas, is targeted, with an additional emphasis on enriching these carriers with renewable hydrogen to achieve carbon circularity. The project is structured to address key aspects, including; efficient biogenic CO2 capture from effluent systems, development of resilient microalgae strains to enhance resistance to flue gas toxicity, novel biomass pre-treatment methods for cell disruption and nitrogen removal (concurrent production of biostimulants), and improvements in the efficiency and sustainability of hydrothermal liquefaction (biocrude), anaerobic digestion (biogas) and hydrogenotropic conversion of CO2 to biomethane. The ultimate goal is to validate the viability of the developed direct CO2 fixation methods through integration with effluent systems at a pilot scale, reaching TRL5. This multifaceted approach underscores the project's commitment to advancing sustainable and efficient methods for biogenic CO2 fixation and subsequent conversion into renewable energy carriers. To assess the economic viability, a detailed techno-economic analysis of the proposed carbon capture and use solution will be conducted. Furthermore, sustainability and social impact assessments will be performed, taking into account circular economy principles and addressing social, economic, and environmental aspects in alignment with the priorities outlined in the European Green Deal.

Artificial lighting is a global and growing industry. New forms of efficient solid state lighting (SSL) in particular are rapidly gaining a market share. New OLED technologies (Organic Light Emitting Diode) can revolutionise this industry as they have done in displays because of their potential flexible structure, infinite tailoring of their properties, efficiency and high colour quality. Industrial forecasts predict that the OLED lighting market will grow from $200 million in 2015 to $1.7 billion by 2020. In order to fully benefit from this huge market potential, Europe`s academia and industry are eager to develop new technologies and recruit highly qualified staff. The high demand for OLED SSL lighting however will place drastic demands on the use of very expensive and rare iridium. EXCILIGHT aims to explore exciplex emitters and thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) in OLEDs that will enable us to replace Ir complexes whilst retaining ultrahigh efficiency and giving many new possibilities to simplify OLED design, helping to reduce costs and increase yields of production. Our network will train 15 Early Stage Researchers (ESRs) in the development and application of exciplex and TADF emitters, who can apply their expertise directly in future positions. EXCILIGHT is characterised by an innovative multidisciplinary approach, based on i) a combination of synthesis, physical characterisation and development of devices with the lighting industry, ii) an appropriate balance between research and transferable skills training, and iii) a strong contribution from the private sector, including leading industry and SMEs, through mentoring, courses and secondments. EXCILIGHT will positively impact the employability of its ESRs in the OLED industry through scientific and industrial training at the local and network level. With this approach we aim to train a new generation of scientists at the same time as integrating this exciting new technology into industry.

Micro and Nanosatellites (often referred to as CubeSats) are revolutionizing the paradigm of engineering and space exploration in the last years, in several areas such as weather information and climatic research, multimedia communications, telephone and television, data distribution, transportation and logistics, navigation, safety, security, and rescue. The field of CubeSat is being pointed out as one of the emergent technological markets and it is expected to reach $6.35 billion by 2021, with a CAGR growth of 37.91% in the 2017-2021 period. With advances in CubeSat technologies, the energy demand in this market segment has also increased dramatically, requiring larger deployable solar arrays, lower power electronics, efficient energy storage systems and further energy transfer/harvesting systems. The WiPTherm project will design, implement and pilot an innovative Wireless Energy Transfer (WET) system, able to wirelessly recharge the energy storage components used in CubeSat technologies. The WiPTherm technology consists of a pioneering, clean, easy and cheap solution for energy transfer. The energy harvesting system comprises dozens of microarrays of 2D thermoelectric generators, resulting in a photo-thermoelectric plasmonic (HPTP) system that has the ability to convert photon energy into electrical energy (via thermal gradient). The wireless thermal stimulation will be performed through a large-range pulsed high power laser beam capable of operating at large distances.

To succeed in the ambitious objective of achieving a climate-neutral EU by 2050 the nano-enabled bio-based materials sector shall respond to some specific risks in the short term. BIONANOPOLYS will address the following risks and challenges in order to strengthen the circularity of nano-enabled bio-based materials in the economy: › Acceptance of new technology by the market. › Seasonal sustainability of feedstocks. › Price competition and market. › Other risks: The existing legislation is costly in particular for small companies. For example, nano-ecotoxicology related to the use of nano-enabled materials in industry and/or food contact. Considering these challenges, BIONONAPOLYS Open Innovation Test Bed will improve technologies, processes, considering different feedstock. BIONANOPOLYS offers: › PILOT LINES: Cutting edge technology upgraded at TRL 7 with the objetive to produce nanoenabled biobased materials with multifunctional properties to be dispersed in cellulose and polymeric matrices assuring the best dispersion and the robustness of the final properties. Developed materials will be validated in application such as packaging, cosmetic, medical, foam, nonwoven, coating, 3D printing, textiles and cellulose-paper. › PRIMARY RAW MATERIALS FROM DIFFERENT FEEDSTOCKS: BIONANOPOLYS will use the most relevant feedstock in Europe to obtain bio-based nano-enabled composites. › HIGH VOLUME APPLICATIONS: BIONANOPOLYS offer solutions for more than the 50% of the applications that are currently using bio-based materials. › COMPLEMENTARY SERVICES: BIONANOPOLYS will offer to the industry a wide variety of services for the market uptake of a new bio-based nano-enabled products, such as safety protocols for bio-based nano-enabled materials, training for staff specialization, standardisation, business modelling, access to follow-on finance or IPR protection as a crucial mean of ensuring the capitalisation on the investments made by our stakeholders and other investors.