Skip to main content
Go to the home page of the European Commission (opens in new window)
English en
CORDIS - EU research results
CORDIS

A Paradigm-Shifting Approach to Ethylene Purification and Separation Technologies

Project description

Sustainable one-step carbon ethylene purification

Producing high-purity ethylene currently requires energy-intensive processes to remove impurities such as acetylene and CO2. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the MULTISORBED project will introduce a sustainable alternative: a one-step purification technology that uses porous carbon adsorbents derived from food waste. By combining hydrothermal carbonisation with advanced molecular simulations, MULTISORBED aims to develop microporous materials that are both eco-friendly and high-performing. The project will also focus on scaling up these layered adsorbent beds to ensure their viability for industrial applications. By combining green chemistry principles, materials innovation, technology and process intensification, the project aims to deliver a low-cost, energy-efficient alternative to conventional technologies, providing a significant sustainable impact for the chemical and energy sectors.

Objective

MULTISORBED: A Paradigm-Shifting Approach to Ethylene Purification and Separation Technologies

The production of polymer-grade ethylene currently relies on energy-intensive processes such as catalytic hydrogenation, cryogenic distillation, and chemisorption, each targeting specific impurities like acetylene, propene, and CO2. While physisorbents offer a lower-energy alternative, achieving simultaneous removal of multiple impurities in a single step remains an unmet challenge. The MULTISORBED MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship proposes a novel, sustainable solution: a one-step ethylene purification technology using carbon adsorbents derived from food waste.
This project will deliver:

(1) Green synthesis of porous carbon materials: Development of high-surface-area, microporous, functional carbon adsorbents via hydrothermal carbonization and salt-templating of food waste.
(2) Multisorbent bed technology: Design and lab-scale testing of layered adsorbent beds for room-temperature ethylene purification.
(3)Molecular-level insight: Simulations to investigate how pore size, surface chemistry, and structure influence adsorption and selectivity.
(4) In-silico scale-up: Process modeling of the multisorbent bed system to assess feasibility for industrial ethylene streams.

By integrating green chemistry principles, materials innovation, technology and process intensification, MULTISORBED aims to deliver a low-cost, energy-efficient alternative to conventional separation technologies — with broad implications for the chemical and energy sectors.

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.

You need to log in or register to use this function

Keywords

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.

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.

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.

HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships

See all projects funded under this funding scheme

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF

See all projects funded under this call

Coordinator

UNIVERSITY OF SURREY
Net EU contribution

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.

€ 276 187,92
Address
Stag Hill
GU2 7XH Guildford
United Kingdom

See on map

Region
South East (England) Surrey, East and West Sussex West Surrey
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Total cost

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.

No data