Descrizione del progetto
Avvalersi delle acque reflue per trasformare la produzione di biocarburanti
Alla luce della sfida mondiale di affrontare i cambiamenti climatici, la necessità di alternative sostenibili ai combustibili fossili sta diventando sempre più urgente. I metodi tradizionali di produzione dei biocarburanti sono spesso inadeguati, in quanto si basano su materie prime limitate e producono una notevole quantità di emissioni di carbonio. In questo contesto, il progetto NIAGARA, finanziato dall’UE, si propone di rivoluzionare la produzione di biocarburanti attraverso l’impiego di mezzi innovativi. Sfruttando i rifiuti biogeni dell’UE, come le acque reflue e i fanghi di depurazione, nonché producendo microalghe ricche di carboidrati, NIAGARA mira a creare una catena di processo sostenibile. Grazie a una combinazione innovativa di processi termochimici (liquefazione idrotermale, reforming in fase acquosa, gassificazione e cattura della CO2), il progetto converte questa miscela in un biocarburante avanzato ricco di idrogeno, in grado di alimentare una cella a combustibile a ossidi solidi che genera elettricità.
Obiettivo
NIAGARA’s project intends to make a significant contribution to the development of a sustainable process chain, involving the shaping and procurement of openly available EU biogenic wastes (wastewaters, digestate, sewage sludge etc.), a production of carbohydrate-rich microalgae , an innovative continuous and flexible HTC process to convert the mix of biogenic wastes and microalgae into a solid fraction (hydrochar) and an aqueous phase that will in turn be converted into an advanced biofuel (a biogenic syngas rich in hydrogen) via gasification and aqueous phase reforming. Subsequent syngas cleaning processes are envisaged to ensure a full compatibility of the syngas to the solid oxide fuel cells. NIAGARA’s value chain will feature a very low carbon balance with a strong potential to become carbon negative overtime.
NIAGARA will dramatically improve advanced biofuel production by combining complementary scientific and industrial know-how while fostering various promising market applications (e.g. fuel cells). the NIAGARA methodology, which derives from the ambitious idea of producing advanced biofuels from EU-widely available biomasses and wastes on a fully circular basis, making this value chain ultimately sustainable. The main market application that is sought in the NIAGARA project is the generation of electricity using highly efficient SOFC. This implies (i) individually developing key innovative and carbon-efficient processes, (ii) assessing their performances (carbon footprints, energy balance and production yields), and (iii) demonstrating their integration and global compatibility to reach the objective of negative carbon emission on the biofuel production chain up to the generation of electricity.
NIAGARA will contribute towards lowering the technological, economic, and social barriers faced by the development of the contemplated processes at TRL5. The outcome of this work will contribute directly and significantly to EU’s overall renewal energy targets.
Campo scientifico
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringwater treatment processeswastewater treatment processes
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectrical engineeringpower engineeringelectric power generation
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsfuel cells
- engineering and technologyindustrial biotechnologybiomaterialsbiofuels
- agricultural sciencesagricultural biotechnologybiomass
Parole chiave
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Meccanismo di finanziamento
HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation ActionsCoordinatore
75015 PARIS 15
Francia