Selective, sustainable production routes towards bio-based alternatives to fossil-based chemical building blocks

The production of a wider portfolio of bio-based platform chemicals is presently at low maturity, and CAPEX (and OPEX) investments are still needed to scale up production. The EU bio-based production share still amounts to 0.3 %[[Spekreijse, J., Lammens, T., Parisi, C., Ronzon, T. and Vis, M., Insights into the European market for bio-based chemicals, EUR 29581 EN, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 2019, ISBN 978-92-76-01500-0, doi:10.2760/739561 JRC112989]]. The main current feedstock platforms deployed for bio-based chemicals are the sugar/starch, vegetable oils and glycerine platforms. Concerning the current land use impact of bio-based platform chemicals, an index of 0.5 ha/t of product has been reported, with a medium level imported feedstock dependency of 34%[[Spekreijse, J., Lammens, T., Parisi, C., Ronzon, T. and Vis, M., Insights into the European market for bio-based chemicals, EUR 29581 EN, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 2019, ISBN 978-92-76-01500-0, doi:10.2760/739561 JRC112989]].

The bio-based platform chemicals portfolio remains relatively limited, with an approximate of 90% of the global bio-based production capacity accounted by a limited amount of platform chemicals[[Extrapolation at EU level]]. Yet, the list of bio-based platform chemicals is growing and with a projected 10% CAGR[[Extrapolation at EU level]].It is essential to progress further with the market penetration of bio-based chemicals, with a holistic consideration of sustainability across the value chain.

Proposals under this topic should:

• Demonstrate novel or improved production routes that are resource and energy efficient towards bio-based platform chemicals which have a large market potential. Such novel improved production routes can encompass different enabling technologies[[Enabling technologies include (without the list being exhaustive): catalysis, biocatalysis, metabolic engineering, systems biology, enabling digital technologies (e.g. for chemicals design, high-throughput testing, chemical process design, control and optimisation).]] [[Both C2-C4 small molecules and larger chain length platform chemicals are in scope, but not aromatics as BTX, phenols and others due to expected to receive R&I coverage in medium and long-term of the CBE JU programming.]].
• Address and assess feedstock sustainability and imports dependency to produce bio-based platform chemicals from EU-sourced feedstock[[For feedstock origin, refer to section 2.2.3.2 of the CBE JU Annual Work Programme 2023 (https://www.cbe.europa.eu/reference-documents).]] including the valorisation of circular biomass sources (e.g. agricultural and agro-industrial waste and residual streams, municipal waste, etc) [[Feedstock chosen should ensure that there is no competition with food/feed, as well as adhere to environmental sustainability requirements (including biodiversity, etc.) - see also ‘specific requirements’ of the CBE JU Annual Work Programme 2023 (https://www.cbe.europa.eu/reference-documents).]].
• Propose and deduce reaction mechanisms and pathways to produce the studied bio-based platform chemicals; enabling reaction kinetics elucidation and mechanistic understanding. This should be provided also in the context of further advancing process scale-up;
• Include a task to integrate assessment based on the safe-and-sustainable-by-design (SSbD) framework, developed by the European Commission, for assessing the safety and sustainability of chemicals and materials[[See documents defining the framework and criteria on: https://ec.europa.eu/info/research-and-innovation/research-area/industrial-research-and-innovation/key-enabling-technologies/advanced-materials-and-chemicals_en.]]. Under this context, projects are expected to contribute with and develop recommendations that can advance further the application of the SSbD framework[[More specifically, provide thresholds that can support the criteria definition and improvements for the assessment SSbD methodologies, including any specificities related with bio-based surfactants. Recommendations should also include identification of data gaps, especially safety, environmental, but also socio-economic factors, as well as priorities for data collection.]].
• Demonstrate the applicability and added-value of the bio-based chemical building blocks compared to the fossil-based ones, while considering the target end uses in bio-based products.
• Develop and propose a strategic roadmap for closing the competitiveness between well-established fossil-based routes and the proposed novel or improved bio-based routes.

Proposals must implement the multi-actor approach and demonstrate the involvement of all concerned key actors in the bio-based systems, such as feedstock suppliers, researchers and technology providers bio-based processing industries, end-users and consumers (in case of B2C[[for a description of the term, see annex Glossary in the CBE JU Annual Work Programme 2023 (https://www.cbe.europa.eu/reference-documents)]] value chains).

Proposals should also describe their contribution to the specific CBE JU requirements, presented in section 2.2.3.1 and the cross-cutting elements, highlighted in section 2.2.3.2 of the CBE JU Annual Work Programme 2023[[CBE JU Annual Work Programme 2023 (https://www.cbe.europa.eu/reference-documents)]].

Proposals should consider synergies with past and ongoing projects[[Proposals should consider ongoing and past projects, especially under BBI JU/CBE JU as well as H2020 but also HEU (Clusters 4 and 6). E.g. topic HORIZON-JU-CBE-2022-IA-03 “Cost-effective production routes towards bio-based alternatives to fossil-based chemical building blocks”, projects URBIOFIN (IA-DEMO), PULP2VALUE (IA-DEMO), PERCAL (RIA), FRACTION (RIA), EMBRACED (IA-DEMO), CAPIFLA (RIA), BIOFOREVER (IA-DEMO), AFTERBIOCHEM (FLAGSHIP). See also HORIZON-JU-CBE-2023-IA-03 “Improve fermentation processes (including downstream purification) to final bio-based products” and HORIZON-JU-CBE-2023-IA-05 “Development of scalable safe bio-based surfactants, with an improved sustainability profile”]].