Project description
An innovative approach to biofuel production
Mounting energy demand and fossil fuel depletion threaten global energy security and the environment. To mitigate this, the EU targets climate neutrality by 2050, relying on next-generation biofuels from non-land, non-food bio-wastes. However, challenges in bio-ethanol reforming hinder the production of advanced biofuels like butanol and hydrogen. In this context, the EIC-funded GlaS-A-Fuels project focuses on transforming bio-ethanol into advanced biofuels like butanol and hydrogen, overcoming challenges of low yields and selectivity. Their innovative approach involves light-trapping photonic glass reactors powered by thermoelectric modules, enhancing the efficiency of photo-amplified single-atom catalysts. With expertise in materials science, catalysis, and laser technologies, GlaS-A-Fuels aims to pioneer sustainable solutions for future energy needs.
Objective
The increasing energy demand and the depletion of fossil-fuel reserves, threatening our energy security and the environment, have aroused intense global concern. To mitigate this, the EU aims to become climate-neutral by 2050, by targeting at the next-generation of biofuels from non-land and non-food competing bio-wastes. Butanol (BuOH), heavier alcohols and hydrogen (H2), if produced from bio-ethanol, are promising advanced biofuels due to their high energy content, long shelf-life and, in case of BuOH, compatibility with the current engines and fuel distribution infrastructure. However, their production faces challenges due to the low yields and selectivities during ethanol reforming. GlaS-A-Fuels envisions a holistic approach to transform bio-ethanol to advanced biofuels employing recyclable and cooperative catalysts from earth-abundant elements. The concept is based on the engineering of a light-trapping and light-tuning photonic glass reactor, self-powered by a thermoelectric module, and tailored to amplify the effectiveness of photo-amplified single-atom catalysts. GlaS-A-Fuels aims to harness the full power of the light-activated carriers of photoactive supports by channeling this energy to the surface-exposed transition metal-cation single atom sites. There, via the effective coordination with the reactants and energy matching with their frontier orbitals, solar energy to fuel conversion can be maximized. Metal-metal and metal-support cooperativity, charge transfer phenomena and strongly polarized oxidations states can further contribute to the required enhanced catalytic performances and difficult-to-achieve key reaction intermediates. To develop efficient processes for the production of advanced biofuels, GlaS-A-Fuels will leverage in a concerted way the key expertise of five partners in materials science for solar and thermal energy harvesting, catalysis, laser technologies for tuning light-matter interactions, intelligent process-control systems.
Fields of science
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsrenewable energysolar energy
- natural scienceschemical sciencescatalysisphotocatalysis
- engineering and technologymaterials engineering
- natural scienceschemical sciencesorganic chemistryalcohols
- engineering and technologyindustrial biotechnologybiomaterialsbiofuels
Keywords
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.3.1 - The European Innovation Council (EIC) Main Programme
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-EIC - HORIZON EIC GrantsCoordinator
70013 Irakleio
Greece