Project description
Nanotechnology to boost production of high-quality biofuels and chemicals
As the EU seeks independence from fossil fuel imports and strives for decarbonisation, sustainable technologies are becoming crucial. Photobiorefineries offer a promising solution for producing biofuels and high added-value products. However, their efficiency is often hampered by low algal biomass productivity. Funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the NANOBOOSTER project aims to engineer a high-performance photobiorefinery by introducing nanoparticles to boost the metabolism of the microalgae Haematococcus pluvialis. The focus is on producing high-quality biomethane and astaxanthin while better understanding nanoparticle-microalgae interactions and efficient, single-stage production of astaxanthin. By optimising environmental conditions, NANOBOOSTER hopes to establish a cost-effective, sustainable method for biogas upgrading.
Objective
The urgent need to reach EU independence from fossil fuel imports, decarbonization and circular economy encourages the development of sustainable technologies for the production of biofuels and high added-value products. Photobiorefineries are a promising platform to produce biofuels and high added-value products. However, the low algal biomass productivities typically limit their application. NANOBOOSTER will engineer a high-performance photobiorefinery based on the addition of nanoparticles (NPs) to boost Haematococcus pluvialis metabolism, resulting in a biomethane that meets the EN 16723 standard (CH4>95%, CO2<2%) along with enhanced astaxanthin productivities. NANOBOOSTER will address two key scientific challenges: the elucidation of the mechanisms of interaction between NPs and microalgae and the single-stage production of astaxanthin. Overcoming the first challenge will allow the synthesis of tailored NPs to boost H. pluvialis growth and astaxanthin content. Then, the optimal conditions of temperature, light, pH, NPs and NH4+ concentration will be determined at lab-scale. These conditions will be validated in an indoors single-stage continuous system using real centrate as a culture broth, which will be pretreated via selective NH3 membrane permeation to achieve optimal NH3 concentration for astaxanthin accumulation. The process will be optimized to reach an upgraded biomethane with CH4 >95% and CO2<2%, and astaxanthin contents of 10%. Finally, the process will be validated under outdoor conditions at demo scale to assess its techno-economic feasibility and draft a business roadmap. NANOBOOSTER will position photosynthetic biogas upgrading as a cost-effective process easy to implement in the biogas sector. The fellow, Dr. Vargas, will conduct this action at the Institute of Sustainable Processes of University of Valladolid under the supervision of Dr. Muñoz, with secondments at Calpech and the University of Almería under the supervision of Dr. Gabriel Acién.
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.
- social sciences economics and business economics production economics productivity
- engineering and technology nanotechnology nano-materials
- engineering and technology environmental engineering energy and fuels
- engineering and technology industrial biotechnology biomaterials biofuels
- agricultural sciences agricultural biotechnology biomass
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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.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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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-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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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-MSCA-2023-PF-01
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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.
47002 VALLADOLID
Spain
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.