Project description
Renewable energy sources power conversion of biowaste to jet fuel
Aviation accounts for 2-3 % of global energy-related CO2 emissions. If the global aviation sector were a country, it would have ranked sixth highest emitter in the world – between Japan and Germany – in 2019. The EU-funded Circular Fuels project aims to demonstrate the first coupling of concentrated solar heat with fast pyrolysis of biobased waste materials to produce sustainable aviation fuels. This novel process will convert cheap and abundant waste wood and agricultural residues into renewable bio-oil using solar-assisted fast pyrolysis, eliminating combustion, and valorising by-products. Additionally, the project will utilise solar PV to produce the required processing hydrogen via water electrolysis. Furthermore, it will use green hydrogen to stabilise and upgrade the pyrolysis oil. Fractionation by distillation should yield high percentages of jet fuel and other valuable fractions.
Objective
The Circular Fuels project integrates concentrated solar heat, solar electrical energy, and thermochemical conversion of bio-based waste materials to produce sustainable aviation fuels. Coupling concentrated solar heat with fast pyrolysis to produce sustainable aviation fuels has not yet been achieved and requires technological innovation. Waste wood (A+B) and agricultural residues (straw), listed in the Renewable Energy Directive (REDII Annex IX), will be used as cheap and abundant bio-based waste material feedstocks. The feedstock will be first converted into renewable bio-oil in the new solar assisted fast pyrolysis. The use of solar energy removes the need to burn any fraction of the pyrolysis products to heat the pyrolysis process. The solar pyrolysis will produce valuable by-products, such as biochar, that can improve the economics of the process. The pyrolysis oil will be stabilized and upgraded to reduce the oxygen content to close to zero by slurry hydrotreatment and hydrodeoxygenation. These processes will employ green hydrogen, produced using optimized solar photovoltaic-assisted water proton exchange membrane electrolysis. Finally, the oil will be fractionated into sustainable transportation fuels by distillation. Our main objective is to maximize the fraction of jet fuel. In addition, we will analyze all component fractions suitable as transportation bio-fuel products, such as gasoline and diesel, to maximize the profitability of the concept. The proposed new thermal pyrolysis process pathway is not yet standardized for ASTM D7566 (Standard Specification for Aviation Turbine Fuel Containing Synthesized Hydrocarbons). Therefore, we will perform compatibility and turbine combustion tests for the required standardization and inclusion into ASTM D7566. We aim for a sustainable aviation fuel production price of 1.5 /kg. We will analyze the sustainability aspects of the technology and give policy recommendations for successful commercialization.
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.
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.
- engineering and technology environmental engineering energy and fuels liquid fuels
- natural sciences chemical sciences electrochemistry electrolysis
- engineering and technology chemical engineering separation technologies distillation
- social sciences economics and business economics sustainable economy
- engineering and technology industrial biotechnology biomaterials biofuels
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
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.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
-
HORIZON.2.5 - Climate, Energy and Mobility
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme -
HORIZON.2.5.2 - Energy Supply
See all projects funded under this programme
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.
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.
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-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions
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.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-CL5-2022-D3-02
See all projects funded under this callCoordinator
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.
02150 Espoo
Finland
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.