Objective
Biomass-derived liquid transportation fuels have been proposed as part of the solution to mitigate climate change and many countries are providing incentives to support the growth of bioenergy utilization. Nevertheless, most biofuels currently are made from food-related sources and have a negative impact on food production. The development of cost-effective solutions to minimize carbon waste and inhibit biogenic effluent gas emissions in sustainable biofuel production processes is still at an early stage of development.
FLEXBY intends to go significantly boost this development by producing advanced biofuel through an innovative, cost-efficient process that will reach TRL5. At FLEXBY we will produce biofuel using biogenic waste from microalgae cultivated in domestic wastewater as well as the oily sludge from refineries. This residual biomass will undergo a microwave pyrolysis treatment to produce three different fractions: bio-liquid, pyro-gas, and bio-char. The bio-liquid fraction will be converted to jet, diesel, and marine bio-fuels (heavy transport biofuels) through a versatile and innovative Hydrogen-free Hydrodeoxygenation. The gaseous fraction will be converted to bio-hydrogen through a steam-reforming water gas-shift process (WGS) and preferential CO oxidation (PrOx). Both liquid and gaseous biofuel will be tested and validated in fuel cells to produce electricity, along with an evaluation of their respective suitability for the transport sector. FLEXBY promotes a circular economy by recycling biomass residues and all sub-products obtained during the project. The combined expertise of the industrially-driven consortium (formed by 1 LE, 4 SMEs, 2 universities, 1 non-profit association, and 2 RTOs) from 5 different countries will be able to achieve these objectives. In terms of impact, FLEXBY will increase the use of advanced biofuels in the heavy transport sector, mitigating climate impact in key areas of the global economy
Fields of science
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesatmospheric sciencesclimatologyclimatic changes
- social scienceseconomics and businesseconomicssustainable economy
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsfuel cells
- engineering and technologyindustrial biotechnologybiomaterialsbiofuels
- agricultural sciencesagricultural biotechnologybiomass
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation ActionsCoordinator
41300 LA RINCONADA SEVILLA
Spain