Industrial symbiosis promotes sharing of physical resources (energy, water, residues and recycled materials, etc.) between different industrial processes, increasing business opportunities and creating new jobs while reducing environmental impacts. Neither self-organization nor the few government co-ordinated mechanisms have delivered mass implementation of Industrial Symbiosis. Given the great potential for triple-bottom line benefits this failure must be understood and addressed. SCALER aims to massively increase the implementation of industrial symbiosis, by developing mechanisms to retain the embedded value of European resources, thus, enabling the circular economy to achieve higher resource efficiency through systemic innovations led by intensified industrial symbiosis initiatives and enhanced by cross-sectorial collaboration and, to support the development of a roadmap to improve the adoption of industrial symbiosis in the European process industry at regional / national / European level. SCALER will use new and advanced practices in identifying value opportunities, use new methods to create a larger market for available resources, and use new methods to measure and manage the implementation and sustaining of new relationships. SCALER brings together qualitative and quantitative tools and methods to support self-organised initiatives on industrial symbiosis and to enhance facilitation processes and coordination actions. The creation of new spaces for interaction, collaboration and cooperation and the engagement of a broader set of stakeholders are crucial elements of the multiplier effect in industrial symbiosis implementation. SCALER provides a comprehensive solution for understanding, assessing and intensifying the potential of industrial symbiosis in Europe.

The key objective of the HyGrid project is the design, scale-up and demonstration at industrially relevant conditions a novel membrane based hybrid technology for the direct separation of hydrogen from natural gas grids. The focus of the project will be on the hydrogen separation through a combination of membranes, electrochemical separation and temperature swing adsorption to be able to decrease the total cost of hydrogen recovery. The project targets a pure hydrogen separation system with power and cost of < 5 kWh/kgH2 and < 1.5 €/kgH2. A pilot designed for 25 kg/day of hydrogen will be built and tested. To achieve this, HyGrid aims at developing novel hybrid system integrating three technologies for hydrogen purification integrated in a way that enhances the strengths of each of them: Membrane separation technology is employed for removing H2 from the “low H2 content” (e.g. 2-10 %) followed by electrochemical hydrogen separation (EHP ) optimal for the “very low H2 content” (e.g. <2 %) and finally temperature swing adsorption (TSA) technology to purify from humidity produced in both systems upstream. The objective is to give a robust proof of concept and validation of the new technology (TRL 5) by designing, building, operating and validating a prototype system tested at industrial relevant conditions for a continuous and transient loads. To keep the high NG grid storage capacity for H2, the separation system will target the highest hydrogen recovery. The project will describe and evaluate the system performance for the different pressure ranges within 0.03 to 80 bar (distribution to transmission) and test the concept at pilot scale in the 6-10 bar range. HyGrid will evaluate hydrogen quality production according to ISO 14687 in line not only with fuel cell vehicles (Type I Grade D) but also stationary applications (Type I Grade A) and hydrogen fueled ICE (Type I grade E category 3). A complete energy and cost analysis will be carried out in detail.

The world needs a disruptive technology to very quickly decarbonize the energy; the success of this technology depends heavily on its social acceptance, sustainability and fast and easy implementation. The proponents of 112CO2 believe to have this technology. Imagine that a new chemical reactor would make possible to use methane, an easy to transport and to store fuel, either fossil, renewable or synthetic, for producing COx-free hydrogen in a cost-effective way. Imagine that this approach could be implemented swiftly, taking advantage of the present infrastructure. 112CO2 project is about producing hydrogen from low temperature methane decomposition (MD), a 100 % selective reaction – CH4 → C (s) + 2 H2. The use of methane from biogas allows actively to remove CO2 from the atmosphere (negative carbon balance) but, if using fossil methane, there will be no COx emissions. 112CO2 project aims at developing a low temperature MD catalyst, easy to regenerate and very active, > 0.45 gH2/gCat/h and stable for at least 10 000 h. 112CO2 proposes an innovative regeneration step based on the selective hydrogenation of the carbon attaching interface with the catalyst, allowing to release the coke particles and the recovery of the catalytic activity. Proponents succeed very recently to demonstrate, in a 500-h experiment, that this approach is possible and easily accomplishable. A membrane reactor, made of a stack of individual cells for producing hydrogen and a stack for pumping out this fuel cell grade hydrogen, will be developed for running at ca. 600 °C and to display > 0.05 gH2/cm3/h, an energy density comparable to the PEMFC. The proposed MD reactor is suitable for mobile as well as for stationary applications. 112CO2 project proposes also an ambitious communication strategy, aim at to involve investors, existing companies, researchers, youngsters, undergraduate and graduate students for this new technology and engage them in the urgent energy decarbonization endeavour.

Rare Earth Elements (REEs) are critical and non-substitutable raw materials with high economic importance for European industry, as they are crucial components for a broad range of advanced products. The main goal of the SecREEts project is to establish a stable and secure supply of critical REEs based on sustainable extraction from European apatite sources used in fertiliser production. Pilot processes will be developed for the innovative extraction, separation and transformation of REEs. Rare Earth (RE) metals will be supplied to application areas like electric vehicles, industrial motors and wind turbines. Replication potential will be demonstrated in medical diagnostics, Fluid Catalytic Cracking and consumer products. The main objective of the project is to demonstrate a new integrated value chain for the optimal extraction, refining and production of REEs in Europe. This will be achieved through the development and demonstration of a number of innovative technologies: • Utilise efficiently a novel industrial sidestream process in fertiliser production to extract the REEs • Separate REEs by a novel chromatographic process into distinct nitrate salts • Realise electrochemical production of metals and alloys from the above targeted RE oxides • Demonstrate the market value and relevance of the produced RE metals in permanent magnets and its downstream products • Validate market acceptance of the RE oxides not processed to metals • Create an industrial symbiosis between two value chains • Demonstrate the economic, environmental and societal sustainability as well as safety of the pilot units SecREEts pilots will focus on Pr, Nd and Dy metals used in permanent magnets as these are extremely critical for the European economy. Industrial implementation of the pilots developed in SecREEts will lead to a supply of at least 3000 tonnes annually of REEs to European industries in 2023, with 75 M€ in estimated value.