Skip to main content
Go to the home page of the European Commission (opens in new window)
English English
CORDIS - EU research results
CORDIS

Bioelectrochemical transformation of CO2 for the synthesis of value-added products

Project description

Biotransformation to trap the world’s CO2 emissions

The ongoing climate crisis and the accelerating production of greenhouse gases have forced the scientific community to come up with solutions for CO2 sequestration and/or recycling. In this context, the EU-funded BIOELECTRO-CO2 project will use a new biotechnology named microbial electrosynthesis that can biotransform a number of aqueous and gaseous wastes, including CO2, into useful chemical commodities. The researchers will fabricate and use gas diffusion electrodes enabling microbial catalysts to take up CO2 gas directly and more efficiently, solving the problem of low CO2 solubility in aqueous media and mass transfer limitations.

Objective

The on-going climate crisis and accelerating production of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide has sparked a sense of urgency in the scientific community to come up with solutions to sequestrate and/or recycle CO2. CO2 is a rather stable molecule that needs a high energy input to be chemically activated, and applications to utilize CO2 effectively are still in their infancy, with several research gaps that need to be filled. In this proposal we will use a new biotechnology named microbial electrosynthesis (MES) that has the ability to use a number of aqueous and gaseous wastes, including CO2, and biotransform them into useful chemical commodities. In order to use MES for practical and large-scale applications, utilization of CO2 from exhaust gases should be the target. We will fabricate and use gas-diffusion electrodes (GDEs) enabling microbial catalysts to take up CO2 gas directly and more efficiently, solving the problem of low CO2 solubility in aqueous media and mass transfer limitations. This project will develop a novel dual biocatalyzed MES consisting of an efficient gas diffusion biocathode for CO2 sequestration in combination with a bioanode for simultaneous product valorization from glycerol, using different biocatalysts, including enriched and engineered synthetic communities. The use of microbial catalysts both at the anode and cathode will significantly increase efficiency and product specificity of the MES system, which is low with chemical catalysts. Furthermore, the application of a bioanode based on oxidation of a cheap industrial by-product such as glycerol, not only generates higher energy electrons for the GDE biocathode saving energy, but also leads to production of added value compounds, making the process more energy and cost efficient.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.

You need to log in or register to use this function

Keywords

Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)

Programme(s)

Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.

Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships

See all projects funded under this funding scheme

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2021-PF-01

See all projects funded under this call

Coordinator

UNIVERSIDADE NOVA DE LISBOA
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 156 778,56
Address
CAMPUS DE CAMPOLIDE
1099 085 Lisboa
Portugal

See on map

Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

No data

Partners (1)

My booklet 0 0