TITAN will develop and validate at TRL5 the direct conversion of biogas (CO2 containing rich-CH4 feedstock) into valuable carbon materials and a H2 rich stream thanks to MW Technology heated reactors. It will also consider further valorisation to power, chemicals and fuels. TITAN has the potential to produce 0.6 Mt of green H2 in 2030 to almost 4 Mt per year from 2045 on, corresponding to the saving of 237 Mt CO2 by 2045. Major innovations are linked to: (1) the efficiency of a scaled-up MW heated fluidised catalytic reactor allowing high CH4 conversion in a single pass thanks due to direct catalyst heating (avoidance of heat transfer limitation) and the avoidance of energy intensive gas separation will make the whole process energy positive, produce H2 and/or power at competitive cost while sequestrating C leading to negative GHG emissions. (2) direct conversion of biogas by simultaneous CH4 cracking and CO2 dry reforming into H2 and solid C materials. Higher H2 yield will be obtained by converting the produced CO into H2 with an additional WGS reactor allowing H2O splitting. Based on circular economy concepts, the valorisation of the C materials will be studied for two applications: 1/ soil amendment to enhance agriculture soil properties and 2/ production of SiC materials. The long-term storage of the carbon species and their microbiological impact when released into soils will be studied. The scalability of the proposed MW heated reactor technology, together with a smart downstream process, will lead to low CAPEX that shall allow the deployment of small, delocalised biogas to power units as well as large biogas to H2 and/or chemicals/fuels units in Europe. The best techno-economic solutions will be identified with respect to plant capacities and available infrastructure. While the scope of the project will focus on the valorisation of biogas, the valorisation of methane-rich mixtures will also be studied for wider impact.

The overall objective of BioCatPolymers is to demonstrate a sustainable and efficient technological route to convert low quality residual biomass to high added-value biopolymers. The technology is based on an integrated hybrid bio-thermochemical process combining the best features of both. The biological step consists of the efficient conversion of biomass-derived sugars to mevalonolactone (MVL). MVL can be then converted to bio-monomers via highly selective chemocatalytic processes. BioCatPolymers is specifically aiming at the efficient and economic production of isoprene and 3-methyl 1,5-pentanediol (3MPD), two momoners with very large markets that can be further processed in the existing infrastructure for fossil-based polymers for the production of elastomers and polyurethanes, respectively. This ambitious target will be attained by optimizing and demonstrating the entire value chain on 0.5 ton of biomass/day scale, starting from the pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass to hydrolysis and biological fermentation to MVL, separation of MVL from fermentation broth, selective catalytic conversion to the targeted monomer and finally purification to polymer grade quality. The novel approach we propose in this project surpasses the impediments of traditional solely bio-based approaches. It aims at producing bio-isoprene at 50% cost reduction and 3MPD at 70% cost reduction compared to average market prices, by optimizing the platform cell factories and all downstream processes and integrating the process modules, thereby increasing the competitiveness of biological processes in terms of economics. The BioCatPolymers consortium consists of highly qualified and experienced researchers with complementary expertise. Trans-disciplinary considerations are strongly involved in the project. The strong industrial leadership-driven innovation potential is reflected through the fact that the large majority of the partners are from industry.

Global warming resulting from the emission of greenhouse gases has received widespread attention with international action from governments and industries, including a number of collaborative programs, such as SET-Plan, and very recently the International Climate Change hold 2015 in Paris. Key European Commission roadmaps towards 2030 and 2050 have identified Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) as a central low-carbon technology to achieve the EU’s 2050 Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission reduction objectives, although there still remains a great deal to be done in terms of embedding CCS in future policy frameworks. The selective capture and storage of CO2 at low cost in an energy-efficient is a world-wide challenge. One of the most promising technologies for CO2 capture is adsorption using solid sorbents, with the most important advantage being the energy penalty reduction during capture and regeneration of the material compared to liquid absorption. The key objectives of GRAMOFON projects are: (i) to develop and protoype a new energy and cost-competitive dry separation process for post-combustion CO2 capture based on innovative hybrid porous solids Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) and Graphene Oxide nanostructures. (ii) to optimize the CO2 desorption process by means of Microwave Swing Desorption (MSD) and Joule effect, that will surpass the efficiency of the conventional heating procedures. This innovative concept will be set up by world key players expert in synthesis, adsorption, characterization and modelling, as well as process design and economic projections.

The LAURELIN is a R&D project, with a duration of 54 months, that will be focused on the optimization and improvement of CO2 hydrogenation process, to obtain methanol as renewable fuel (TRL3). Main objectives are related to the improvement of previous discussed limiting factors: selectivity, yield, and energy reqThe LAURELIN is a R&D project, with a duration of 48 months, that will be focused on the optimization and improvement of CO2 hydrogenation process, to obtain methanol as renewable fuel (TRL3). Main objectives are related to the improvement of previous discussed limiting factors: selectivity, yield, and energy requirements. The strategies adopted by LAURELIN project to achieve the planned objectives are basically the following: a) Research and development in disruptive multifunctional catalyst systems. LAURELIN is focused on methanol synthesis from selective CO2 hydrogenation. A clean process that produces water, CO and methane. b) New technologies for CO2 hydrogenation. CO2 hydrogenation with very low energy demands will be adressed by introducing three advanced synthesis technologies employing: Magnetic Induction, Non-Thermal Plasma Induction and Microwave technologies. These three technologies are suitable to employ intermittent renewable energy supply systems for selective CO2 hydrogenation, which is based on to convert renewable power energy to chemicals. One of the most remarkable aspects of the LAURELIN project will be the close collaboration with Japanese partners to share and increase knowledge on catalyst systems (mainly about high porous supports as zeolites) focused on hydrogenation processes, as well as to increase impact by fast future industrial and market deployments. LAURELIN partnership is composed by 10 partners, 8 of them are from 5 EU countries (Spain, United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands and Belgium) and 2 partners are from Japan. Furthermore it is composed by Research Organisations, Higher Education Institutions and SME companies.

WASTE2ROAD will develop a new generation of cost-effective biofuels from a selected, well-defined range of low cost and abundant biogenic residues and waste fractions. Through optimisation of European waste recycling logistics and development of efficient low-risk conversion pathways, high overall carbon yields > 45% can be obtained while reducing greenhouse gases emissions > 80%. The established consortium covers the full value chain, from a) waste management and pre-treatment based on designated streams from households; b) the subsequent transformation of waste to bio-liquids through fast pyrolysis and hydrothermal liquefaction, c) production of advanced biofuels through intermediate refining processes combined with existing downstream refinery co-processing technologies deploying sustainable hydrogen production, and d) assessment of the end-use compatibility of the obtained biofuels for road transport applications. Correlations will be established between the quality and properties of diverse waste fractions, the relevant process parameters and final properties of the biofuel's: aiming to provide a unique understanding of the technical aspects related the whole value chain, as well as to assess and optimize the environmental, economic and social benefits. Throughout the whole value chain development, emphasis will be on risk-mitigation pathways to maximize further exploitation of the results in industrial implementation. Specific attention will be paid to risk management, while establishing connections with stakeholders and relevant standardisation bodies to secure the future exploitation of the project’s results.