Project description DEENESFRITPL Innovative solar-driven reactor technology shows promise for efficient chemical production The sun, one of the most sustainable energy sources available, could be used to power photochemical reactions. But besides efforts to produce chemical compounds sustainably, current photochemical reactor technology is limited in the ability to efficiently control light. The EU-funded reaCtor project aims to advance modern microflow reactors to render them suitable for widespread use. Researchers will use optical fibres for smart light management and metallic nanoparticles as efficient energy transmitters. Furthermore, advanced techniques will be used to functionalise microfluidic components. The envisioned fibre-based microfluidic reactor could forge a path to the sustainable and more efficient development of pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals and materials at laboratory and industrial scale. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective Major challenges of the European and worldwide society such as the climate crisis, insufficient environmental protection, food and pharmaceutical shortages, and military aggressions require technologies that substitute fossil fuels with sustainable energy sources in basically all industries. Following the green deal of the EU commission, the European continent shall become the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. The chemical industry is a major contributor to CO2 emissions, as it accounts for about 30% of the industry’s total energy use worldwide. Even though so-called photochemistry promises to sustainably produce chemical compounds by (sun)light, corresponding reactors suffer from insufficient light management, even in modern micro flow reactors, which hinders their upscaling to applications in industry. This is exactly where the key to the technological and economic breakthrough lies, and this is where reaCtor comes into play. It will contribute to the ambitious goal of a sustainable chemistry by developing and validating a novel type of light-driven chemical reactor with enormous scale-up potential for industrial applications. It will be based on an interdisciplinary and innovative technological approach, combining optical fibres for smart light management, metallic nanoparticles as efficient energy transmitters, nano- and micro-fabrication for micro-fluidic functionalization as well as monolithic optical integration, and flow chemistry as an eco-friendly and safe chemical technology. For the first time, a demonstrator of the novel reactor architecture will be set-up and benchmarked with relevant photochemical reactions. Ultimately, the proposed fibre-based microfluidic reactors will enable implementation of new and efficient routes driven by light to prepare pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and materials on both lab and industrial scales. Fields of science engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsrenewable energymedical and health sciencesbasic medicinepharmacology and pharmacypharmaceutical drugsnatural scienceschemical sciencesphysical chemistryphotochemistryengineering and technologynanotechnologynano-materialsnatural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesatmospheric sciencesclimatologyclimatic changes Keywords Chemical Micro Reactor Flow Chemistry Plasmonic Nanoparticles Optical Fibres Programme(s) HORIZON.3.1 - The European Innovation Council (EIC) Main Programme Topic(s) HORIZON-EIC-2022-PATHFINDEROPEN-01-01 - EIC Pathfinder Open 2022 Call for proposal HORIZON-EIC-2022-PATHFINDEROPEN-01 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme EIC - EIC Coordinator GOTTFRIED WILHELM LEIBNIZ UNIVERSITAET HANNOVER Net EU contribution € 593 144,00 Address Welfengarten 1 30167 Hannover Germany See on map Region Niedersachsen Hannover Region Hannover Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 Participants (5) Sort alphabetically Sort by Net EU contribution Expand all Collapse all UNIVERSIDAD DE LA LAGUNA Spain Net EU contribution € 575 563,00 Address Padre herrera s/n 38200 San cristobal de la laguna See on map Region Canarias Canarias Tenerife Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 SIEC BADAWCZA LUKASIEWICZ - INSTYTUT MIKROELEKTRONIKI I FOTONIKI Poland Net EU contribution € 572 500,00 Address Aleja lotnikow 32-46 02 668 Warszawa See on map Region Makroregion województwo mazowieckie Warszawski stołeczny Miasto Warszawa Activity type Research Organisations Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 STICHTING NEDERLANDSE WETENSCHAPPELIJK ONDERZOEK INSTITUTEN Netherlands Net EU contribution € 705 360,00 Address Winthontlaan 2 3526 KV Utrecht See on map Region West-Nederland Utrecht Utrecht Activity type Research Organisations Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 EURA AG Germany Net EU contribution € 261 875,00 Address Max eyth strasse 2 73479 Ellwangen jagst See on map SME The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed. Yes Region Baden-Württemberg Stuttgart Ostalbkreis Activity type Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 UNIVERSITEIT VAN AMSTERDAM Netherlands Net EU contribution € 403 531,00 Address Spui 21 1012WX Amsterdam See on map Region West-Nederland Noord-Holland Groot-Amsterdam Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,25
