BARRIER is a proof of concept project with multidisciplinary expertise for demonstrating, from the laboratory to a pilot process, that selected bacteria can protect microalgae when growing in various waters including produced water, seawater or wastewaters containing toxic compounds, providing higher algal resilience, productivity and bioremediation efficiency in saline wastewater treatments. Saline wastewater is a stubborn pollution source representing one of the most serious environmental problems occurring on land formations and in water reservoirs. In BARRIER project, natural microalgae and associated bacteria will be selected on organic and metallic toxic compounds. Microalgae-bacteria assemblages will be built, optimized through modeling and tested in large-scale mass culture processes using industrial wastewaters. Microalgae are promising organisms for producing a wide range of commodities (biofuel, bioplastics, …) including recycling and valuation of liquid and gaseous effluents. However, this is hindered by the difficulty to grow microalgae in contaminated waters, where various toxic may reduce their growth, and can even contribute to dramatic crash of the culture. Recent advances have shown that, when associated with a specific cluster of bacterial species, the resilience of assemblage can be significantly stronger than the microalgae alone. Microalgae-bacteria consortia are shaped by complex interactions. Microalgae stimulate bacterial growth by the release of carbon exudates, whereas bacteria supply algae with vitamins and nutrients. Although the microalgae-bacteria relationships through metabolite exchanges are well studied, little is known however regarding the impact of chemical contaminants on the interactions between both microalgae and bacteria. Further experimental studies are required to understand the algae-bacteria interactions in the context of chemical pollution pressure in order to propose innovative strategies for improving the resilience of microalgae assemblage in contaminated effluents. Four objectives in BARRIER project: • To evidence the role of bacteria in the protection of microalgae against contamination, by analyzing physiological responses of microalgae under controlled exposure to toxic chemicals. • To characterize the fate of toxic chemicals and organic matrix during the biodegradation/immobilization processes. • To model and predict the role of interactions between microalgae and associated bacteria when exposed to combined toxic chemicals. • To demonstrate in realistic outdoor pilot conditions that a selected microalgae-bacteria association provides a better resilience of the mass culture process and thus increases the yearly microalgal productivity and bioremediation processing in saline wastewaters with toxic contaminants. BARRIER will perform complementary laboratory experiments in controlled and outdoor conditions with an upscaling approach using cultures of microalgae species and bacteria isolated from a contaminated environment. BARRIER proposes a multidisciplinary approach relying on a consortium associating five academic laboratories and one industrial company developing bioremediation strategies, in order to obtain competencies in microbial ecology, ecotoxicology, organic and inorganic chemistry, molecular biology, modeling and process engineering and microalgae cultivation on oil and gas wastewater. BARRIER will allow a better understanding of the interactions between microalgae and bacteria. The methodological approach will help in characterizing the role of the bacteria in the protection of microalgae against chemical contamination. Lastly, BARRIER will propose innovative approaches with the manipulation of algae-bacteria consortia to use the effective algae-bacteria interactions, approaches that will be tested in realistic outdoor conditions with the support facilities and competences of the industrial Partner.

In RETRIEVE we aim to combine PV upstream value chain organizations with beyond state-of-the-art recycling processes and techniques to improve circularity within the PV sector. RETRIEVE targets the upcycling of the components of the End of Life (EoL) solar panels, enhancing the material quality to meet current requirements for re-introduction into the PV value chain. RETRIEVE will increase the circularity and minimize the environmental impact of the PV industry by developing and demonstrating cost effective recycling technologies for the different components of a solar module; recycle glass to current PV specifications, purify production waste and EoL silicon to solar grade quality, recover silver and heavy metals, and polymer valorization with carbon capture. The final goal is to demonstrate a closed-loop recycling process where recycled glass as well as silicon is re-used in state-of-the-art solar module production, turning the EoL PV panels into sources of new raw materials for the PV manufacture industry. In addition, future PV waste streams for EoL and production waste will be forecasted, and the market potential will be evaluated. By lowering the financial burden of material recovery and increasing the value after recovery, RETRIEVE makes the overall module recycling process more profitable, and the project opens new paths for commercialization. Business cases and market introduction strategies will be developed for a selection of the processes and products.

Rapid up-scaling and deployment of more cost-efficient and sustainable carbon capture solutions is needed to reduce the emissions of CO2-intensive industries. Solvent-based carbon capture is an important technology that can be readily adopted to many emission sources. Such technology can achieve high capture rates and deliver CO2 at high purity with a relatively low energy demand. In AURORA the open and non-proprietary CESAR1 solvent technology will be optimised and qualified for commercial deployment. The technology will be demonstrated at TRL7-8 for three CO2 intensive industries: refining, cement, and materials recycling, for which there are few other options to achieve climate neutrality. The partners will demonstrate negligible environmental impact (emissions being a potential issue for solvent technology), capture rates at 98%, and capture costs reduced by at least 47% compared to a benchmark process with the MEA solvent. This will be achieved due to the following innovations: 1) Holistic optimisation of solvent composition, process design, emission monitoring and control, and solvent management, 2) Validated models for use in commercial process simulators 3) enhanced waste heat integration with carbon capture for reduced external heat demand and operational costs 4) Improved and integrated advanced control system for reduced OPEX and optimised performances. These innovations will be integrated in four optimised capture processes and various aspects will be demonstrated in pilots of various size and complexity. The partners will ensure transferability of results to other CO2 intensive industries thanks to the large variations in CO2 source and developed clusters addressed in the project and a strong stakeholder participation. The project will also do full CCUS chain assessments for its end-users. It is noteworthy that the end-users are situated in two different regions of Europe offering different conditions for the implementation of CCUS value chains.

ACCSESS – providing access to cost-efficient, replicable, safe and flexible CCUS. Main objectives: 1)Demonstrate, at TRL7, and integrate cost-efficient CO2 capture and use in industrial installations, to enable permanent Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) 2)Provide access routes for CO2 captured from European industries to the flexible transport and storage infrastructures under development in the North Sea 3)Leverage on CDR to drive societal integration of CCUS towards urban and European sustainability ACCSESS takes a cross-sectorial approach, addressing Pulp and Paper, Cement, Waste to Energy, and Biorefining, that all have the potential to contribute to CDR. ACCSESS will test at TRL7 the combination of an environmentally benign, enzymatic solvent (regenerated at 80oC) and a Rotary Packed Bed (RPB) absorber. Tests at 2 tpd CO2 captured will be done at a pulp and paper mill in Sweden and a cement kiln in Poland. Recarbonation of demolition concrete fines will be demonstrated at TRL7 (CCU). CCUS chains from inland Europe and the Baltics to the North Sea will be developed and optimized, with an open-source tool. Low pressure ship-based CO2 transport (7 bar) for 50% cost cuts is developed, and also safe CO2 loading and offloading. The ACCSESS concept is centred around the project vision to Develop replicable CCUS pathways towards a Climate Neutral Europe in 2050. ACCSESS will improve CO2 capture integration in industrial installations (20-30% cost cuts) as a key element to accelerate CCUS implementation, address the full CCUS chain and the societal integration of CCUS. ACCSESS has the ambition unleash the ability of CCUS to contribute to the ambitious EU Green Deal transformation strategy. The project is dedicated to developing viable industrial CCUS business models. ACCSESS will engage with citizens and citizens, explaining how CCUS can contribute to the production of climate neutral or climate positive end-products in a sustainable cities' context.

In recent years, organometal halide perovskite-based photovoltaics (PV) have attracted great interest for their high power conversion efficiency at low manufacturing cost. Presently, East Asia especially China and North America are rapidly ramping up towards mass production of perovskite PV. More efforts are urgently needed for perovskite PV upscaling in Europe. LAPERITIVO focuses on the development of large-area stable perovskite solar modules, using processes with high manufacturability. Efficiency targets are 22% and 20% for 900 cm2 opaque and semi-transparent (with >95% bifaciality) modules, respectively. Key research activities include the deposition of high-quality perovskite films as well as contacting layers over large substrate area using industrially viable techniques. Indoor and outdoor field tests, in line with International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards, will be performed to monitor module reliability. Safety, circularity, and sustainability will be assessed to demonstrate products with minimized environmental impact. The developed semi-transparent modules will be applied to perovskite/silicon four-terminal tandem modules and also to Agrivoltaics. Design of perovskite PV pilot line of 200 MW and production capacity of 5 GW in Europe will also be explored. The well-balanced consortium consists of 22 complementary partners including 8 European leading research institutes/universities (IMEC, UNITOV, EMPA, Fraunhofer ISE, IPVF, CNRS, CSEM, Hellenic Mediterranean University), 1 African research institute (Green Energy Park, Morocco), 5 small and medium-sized enterprises (Becquerel Institute, Becquerel Institute France, Becquerel Institute Spain, Dyenamo, TSE Troller, SmartGreenScans, BeDimensional), and 6 big companies (Pilkington Technology Management Limited (PTML), Singulus Technologies, Voltec Solar, Engie, TotalEnergies, EDF). In this way, the project aims to establish the pathway to open the era of manufacturing perovskite-based next-generation PV products in Europe.