Microbially influenced corrosion (MIC) is a costly problem caused by microorganism growing in the hydrocarbon-water interphase, affecting fuel production and processing equipment, fuel storage tanks, fuel handling systems and other infrastructure. Anti-microbial and/or antibiofilm materials and coatings are promising solution to passively control bio-contamination by preventing the adherence and growth of species to surrounding surfaces. However, methods for assessing antimicrobial materials under industrially-relevant environments are still missing. Studies defining real bio-contamination and key parameters are fundamental. MICTEST will develop new bio-contamination exposure protocols for lab-scale validation of materials, coatings and components for aircraft fuel systems. MICTEST will be focused on: i) performing an exhaustive sampling of contaminated fuels and materials, ii) defining representative core microbiomes of microorganisms isolated from real samples, iii) determining key parameters mimicking real environments, iv) selecting representatives coatings, materials and components, and v) proposing the most appropriate combination of technologies for assessing antimicrobial/antibiofilm properties correlated with material degradation, coating performance and the potential effects on fuel properties. Different protocols will be developed and adapted to fuel type, material and environmental conditions that are representative of the bio-contamination developed in real scenarios. The added value of the new protocols will be demonstrated by performing validation studies in a list of materials (metallic elements, coatings, polymers) in 25L pilot tanks in climatic chambers for comparing the biofilms obtained following the new methods, current methods and the ones using real contaminated fuel samples. A final document including all the sections of international guidelines will be presented to IATA to explore the possibilities for standardization.

Phy2Climate will validate 5 phytoremediation pilots in Spain (South Europe), Serbia (Balkan region), Lithuania (Baltic region), Argentina (South America) and India (South Asia) at TRL-5. The selected contaminated sites represent the most common soil contaminants worldwide. The phytoremediation pilots will produce energy crops with none indirect Land Use Change (iLUC) issues. The energy crops will feed a pilot biorefinery in Germany that combines cutting edge biomass processing technologies to produce 4 types of clean drop-in biofuels for the road and shipping transport sectors at TRL-5: EN 14214 biodiesel, ISO 8217 marine fuels, EN 590 diesel and EN 228 gasoline. Additionally, bio-coke will be also produced as substitution of petroleum coke in the metallurgical industry. A significant cost reduction in factor >5 for phytoremediation compared with common remediation techniques is target together with conversion costs of drop-in biofuel production <0,45 €/l. The global biofuel production potential of the Phy2Climate approach is estimated up to 137 million m3 per year. Furthermore, estimated specific Greenhouse Gas (GHG) mitigation of the produced drop-in biofuels is 149% compared with the fossil equivalents, resulting in a total saving potential of 500 Mega-tones CO2eq per year. The work programme is divided in 7 work packages that are specifically designed to achieve the objectives of the project as well as to contribute to the Mission Innovation Challenge 4 and to 16 UN Sustainable Development Goals. The Phy2Climate consortium unites 17 partners from 10 different countries with strong interdisciplinary expertise in the fields of project management, soil remediation & phytoremediation, advanced biofuel technologies, environmental and social sustainability, legal analysis, business development and communication &dissemination. Additionally 11 stakeholders from 8 countries and at EU level have already expressed their interest in the project by a letter of support.