ALFAFUELS Project

Sustainable jet fuels from CO₂ by micro-algal cell factories in a zero-waste approach

ALFAFUELS is a Horizon Europe European project which seeks to develop innovative Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) technology to reduce aviation’s reliance on fossil fuels. By addressing key challenges like high production costs and sustainability issues, the project incorporates breakthroughs such as microbial fuel precursor production and solar-driven photochemistry. ALFAFUELS aims to reach Technology Readiness Level 5, utilising novel bioreactors, pilot-scale trials, and industry collaboration for accelerated upscaling.

COCPIT Project

Circular production of microalgae-based fuels for shipping and aviation

COCPIT seeks to revolutionize Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and the maritime fuels production by cultivating a lipid-rich microalgae strain in an intensified reactor powered by photovoltaic panels. Two pathways, Hydrotreated Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA) and Hydrothermal Liquefaction (HTL), are explored for SAF production with a focus on circularity, productivity, sustainability, and economic viability.

Efficient lipid extraction and hydrotreatment catalysis are employed in the HEFA pathway, while the HTL pathway utilizes a specialized continuous reactor to enhance scalability. Biocrude upgrading is led to give a high flexibility between SAF and shipping fuel production.

The circular design minimizes by-products, incorporates an endogenous hydrogen feed system, recirculates nutrients, and reduces water intensity. The integrated system is evaluated using Unism software, providing a decision tool for investors within a marketplace to select suitable technologies and equipment. The tool aims to grow beyond the project, encompassing all certified and promising SAF production pathways.

SUN-to-LIQUID II

SUN-to-LIQUID II addresses the European Green Deal’s goal of a 90% reduction in transport emissions by 2050, focusing on renewable fuel development. This project employs an integrated solar-thermochemical pathway to produce sustainable fuels directly from sunlight, water, and CO2. The primary objective is to achieve a groundbreaking 15% energy conversion, three times the state of the art, through novel concepts and lab-scale developments. The project aims to optimize solar concentrating systems, develop 3D structured reactants, and implement high-temperature heat recovery. SUN-to-LIQUID II, with a 48-month, 5.7-million-Euro investment, plans to demonstrate on-sun viability on a 50-kW scale and design a next-generation multi-megawatt-scale solar plant. The consortium, spanning five European countries, includes research organizations, industry partners, and an SME. The project anticipates significant progress in cost-effective, low greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction, especially for aviation, with technical scalability beyond projected future demand.

CAPTUS Project

Energy intensive industries will need to meet new technologies and strategies to adapt to carbon-neutrality goals. The EU funded project CAPTUS will investigate carbon capture technologies and strategies to help energy intensive industries to offset energy costs. The key approach of the project is to leverage peaks in the renewable energy supply for carbon capture and to use that captured carbon to make different liquid energy carriers which are feedstocks for renewable fuels and chemicals.

The project partners from Belgium, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and Spain are coordinated by the CIRCE Technology Centre. Together, they will build and test pilot installations at three different plants – a cement, chemical and steel plant – serving as representatives for typical energy intensive industries. Apart from adapting carbon capture technologies to the specific conditions found in the flue gas of these plants, the project partners will validate the different energy carriers produced, optimize key steps through simulations and modelling as well as set up business models for future replication.