TThe FuelGae project aims to develop a novel model of advanced liquid fuels (ALF) production from different CO2 emissions streams of two industrial sectors (biorefinery and energy intensive industries) through a microalgae pilot plant integrated into their infrastructure. The performance of the selected microalgae strains will be improved by adapting them to each industrial case study. The ALF production will be addressed developing different technologies: i) selective production of microalgae to obtain polysaccharides or lipids, ii) alternative microalgal biomass treatments, iii) innovative catalytic upgrading systems from biocrude., iv) online microalgae sensor. Additionally, to the previously innovative technologies, FuelGae concept uses modelling techniques integrated into Process Analytical Techniques to develop a global Digital Twin (DT). Furthermore, the C-economy of FuelGae approach will be significantly improved through hydrothermal liquefaction and, biogas processes. The biochar produced will be tested in agricultural uses creating synergies with energy and biocrude generation. All technologies will be upscaled to TRL5 in the two case study sites; the microalgae pilot plant will be transported and validated in the two industrial sites in Romania (steel plant) and Spain (2G-bioethanol). FuelGae technologies will be further evaluated through life cycle assessment (LCA/LCC) to confirm their lower environmental impact, use of resources, or GHG emissions, and a first approach of economical sustainability. DT will be coupled with LCA-LCC to provide a global and dynamic assessment of the FuelGae concept. FuelGae will contribute to advancing the European scientific basis and global technological leadership in the area of renewable fuels, increase their technology competitiveness and role in transforming the energy system on a fossil-free basis by 2050, in particular in the sectors like aviation and shipping, while supporting the EU goals for energy independence.

Building on successful projects and relevant assets from partners and an interdisciplinary approach, BioSPRINT applies process intensification in the context of biorefining operations, so as to improve the efficiency of the purification and conversion of sugars from the hemicelluloses fraction of lignocellulosic biomass and to enable their transformation into new bio-based resins for substituting fossil based polymers in a range of applications. The ultimate objective is to lead to a reduction in operation costs, feedstock and energy resources, greenhouse gas emissions and higher yields, while increasing operation safety, by concentrating on technologies which can intensify processing methods and create an integrated biorefinery concept. Of particular interest in BioSPRINT is the valorisation of hemicelluloses streams derived from hard wood and straw, from processes employed in the production of paper pulp or biofuels. Such streams are readily available from the pilot or production processes of the project’s research and industrial partners (Fraunhofer and UPM). A case study using a stream from Clariant will also be carried out. With regards to processing technologies, BioSPRINT will focus on 4 activity areas (a) Upstream purification; (b) Catalytic conversion; (c) Downstream purification and (d) Polymerisation. The project will develop and validate an intensified and integrated purification strategy leveraging innovative anti-solvent precipitation and membrane separation methods, novel intensified and integrated catalytic processes for dehydration of C5 and C6 hemicelluloses sugars into monomers, extractive-reaction methods to isolate the reaction products from the reaction medium in situ, heterogeneous catalysts and an intensified polymerisation process for furan-based derivatives. Cross-cutting activities will cover process simulation and optimisation, an integrated Lifecycle sustainability assessment, standardisation, dissemination and exploitation activities

STARHAUS has Moving from the DIY4U project (H2020), STARHAUS will design, test and validate 8 new hardware module prototypes for the existing DIY4U Manufacturing Demonstration Facilities (MDFs), to manufacture newly designed products for personalized fast-moving consumer goods. The project will focus on 4 new use-cases: pet food, fertilizers, beverage, breakfast cereals. STARHAUS will adapt technologies and design new services and processes in an interdisciplinary approach that involves: human centered design, social science impact and indicators, full technology cycle (hardware + software), creativity and arts, circularity and sustainability. The focus will be on sustainability and circularity, enabling the growth of efficient, effective, sustainable and stakeholder-aligned manufacturing methods through re-use, adapt, re-design and repurpose existing technologies as a value for the larger community. The project will be inspired by the New European Bauhaus, paying particular attention to regenerative design and regenerative and value-added manufacturing and adopting a Human-centric and participatory approach, with contributions from Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH), the project will promote collaborative models between domain experts, artists, and technology providers. Improved access to flexible production capabilities in decentralised environments, especially for SMEs will be ensured by FSTP and accurate promotion of collaborative models with domain experts, artists and technology providers. The STARHAUS approach will leverage creativity in interdisciplinary and artistic disciplines and offer a process model towards viable solutions. STARHAUS is focusing on delivering an impact inside modern consumer communities to propagate behavioral and technological changes that can reshape our lives. The consumption habits of modern consumers must change to adopt healthy and sustainable solutions that can be achieved at affordable prices without compromising quality.

SUSHEAT develops and validates, up to TRL 5, 3 novel enabling technologies: high-temperature heat pump (HT-HP), Phase Change Material (PCM) bio-inspired Thermal Energy Storage (TES) system, and Control & Integration Twin (CIT) system; for heat upgrade in top-level labs. It will attain an efficient heat upgrade up to 150-250 °C thanks to the use the innovative Stirling-based HT-HP, working with hellium and enlarging the industrial exploitability of heat upgrade systems, reaching a COP up to 2.8 for temperature ratios of 1.2. The integration of innovative TES will ensure a reliable, flexible, and customizable heat delivery with full decoupling from any waste heat recovery and renewables availability. Moreover, its CIT will provide user-friendly tools and a digital twin for the control system and advising industrial stakeholders, based on smart decision-making algorithms. SUSHEAT will bring an effective self-assessment of the most suited heat upgrade system integration including not only its key enabling components but, beyond, also leveraging on off-the-self RES-based units, particularly solar thermal collectors even enlarging the feasibility of Concentrating Solar Power systems that can extend its operation working at low temperature. Two case-studies are replicated for validation at TRL5, and 4 additional cases are analysed in-depth to cover other sectors as Pulp & Paper, Beverages, Petrochemical, Textile & leather and basic metals. By developing industry-focused self-assessment tools, and directly engaging different industrial stakeholders, SUSHEAT will contribute to identify the target industrial processes and sites which would benefit from the concept, rising awareness of various heat upgrade benefits within the industry and providing solutions to maximize the industrial efficiency while contributing to the sector’s decarbonization, reducing the GHG emissions up to 145 gCO2/kWh (excluding solar contribution and based on EU 2020 intensity and the use NG).

Agriculture is being managed more tightly than ever before and is generating more data than ever before, but the potential of a data economy in agriculture remains unexplored. The reasons for this are varied, and include technical interoperability, business relationships between stakeholders, and social acceptability issues around data ownership and market transparency. Individual stakeholders make use of the data they generate at their own particular stage in the agri-food supply chain. However, the sharing of this data with others along the chain and its collective analysis needs more development and demonstration if more efficiencies are to be introduced and further value added to the agri-data economy. While some sharing is taking place on an ad-hoc basis, each new set of potential data sharers must start from scratch and work through the same issues common to all such arrangements. Equally, the lack of data sharing precedents in agriculture inhibits data owners from taking a more exploratory view of the world. Several dimensions must be considered in policy-making if a fully functioning data economy in the agriculture domain is to emerge. Such a multi-disciplinary approach is at the core of the DIVINE consortium, which encompasses technical (agriculture and ICT), markets, and social sciences expertise. It will build an agri-data ecosystem that incorporates existing common agri data spaces while deploying industry-led pilots built on data sharing arrangements, to demonstrate the cost-benefit and added value in sharing agri data. DIVINE will assess its ecosystem at the level of policy impacts, the uptake of digital technologies, and economic and environmental performance. DIVINE will promote its ecosystem and its assessments to technology providers, policy-makers, farm representatives, and various other agri-data stakeholders. It will take the first real concrete steps towards mature data markets in European and global agriculture.