Over the first eighteen months, the project has progressed significantly in validating the pHYBi process technically and scientifically, moving from conceptual design to bench-scale testing. A key milestone was establishing a comprehensive data collection framework across the project. This included developing modular, compatible templates and a central master database that records biophysical variables, environmental factors, and performance metrics. This infrastructure now underpins the project’s virtual tool, making all future modelling and field data comparable and well-structured for accurate high-fidelity simulations.
Within phytomanagement, the consortium conducted extensive tolerance testing at both laboratory and bench levels. These tests assessed various woody and herbaceous plants—such as poplar, birch, willow, miscanthus, and hemp—against contaminants like heavy metals (Pb, Cu, Zn, Cd), hydrocarbons, and salinity. A major scientific finding was identifying particular crop-stress pairs, especially noting Miscanthus × giganteus's high tolerance in hydrocarbon-contaminated soils. These results have directly influenced the design of the next phase, leading to the selection of advanced microbial communities and organic amendments, including nanocompounds and plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB), to improve remediation effectiveness.
Alongside the physical experiments, the project has advanced the development of mathematical models for unitary processes and plant-microbe interactions. We began building Genome-Scale Metabolic Networks (GSMNs) to elucidate the metabolic biochemistry of the selected organisms. Linking genetic information to metabolic reactions enables the prediction of remediation capabilities and the optimisation of biomass quality. These efforts have yielded simplified soil models for specific case studies, including at the Pierrelaye site in France, where we are currently modelling trace-element immobilisation using optimised poplar genotypes and endophytic fungi. In the field of biomass valorisation, we conducted the first experiments for the optimisation of organosolv techniques and separation of lignocellulosic compounds and the almost completion of the debarking pretreatment.
Overall, these developments have advanced the technology from TRL 3 to TRL 4, providing a solid scientific basis for upcoming pilot field trials.
