Objective
Facing an important environmental crisis, there is an urgent need to find solutions for replacing fossil fuels as energy sources and raw material for chemicals. In this context, the development of the biomass sector is in an exponential way. Biomass fermentation gives bioethanol (BEt), biomethanol (BMet) and glycerol as a byproduct. The monoalcohols can be directly blended with commercial fuels but, due to technological constraints, they are preferably converted to more suitable compounds before blending. Reaction with isobutene yields ETBE and MTBE with adequate cetane and octane numbers but, as a drawback, this technology is dependant on isobutene supply from fossil fuels. Triglycerides from biomass are reacted with BMet to lower their viscosity before blending the obtained so-called 'biodiesel' with commercial fuels. This reaction yields glycerol as a byproduct. Even if the governments actively encourage biodiesel production, private consumers showed that if basic precautions are taken, the triglycerides could be directly used in conventional engines.
From the above, it appears that:
(1) more adequate solutions for valorising BMet and BEt are required and
(2) solutions for valorising glycerol by-produced during biomass fermentation and during biodiesel formation must be found.
This project addresses these issues as follows:
(1) Based on promising results of preliminary studies, we plan to develop catalysts that enable direct conversion of BMet and BEt to methylal and acetal, respectively. These compounds are suitable for direct use as fuel additives and they can be profitably used in replacement of oxygenated solvents usually obtained from petroleum-derived products.
(2) Catalysts for glycerol selective oxidation to high value added chemicals (aldehydes and carboxylic acids) will be developed. These studies will be performed using specifically designed Operando cells to enable original mechanistic studies as a base for back optimisation of the catalysts.
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.
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules lipids
- natural sciences chemical sciences catalysis
- engineering and technology environmental engineering energy and fuels fuel cells
- engineering and technology industrial biotechnology biomaterials biofuels
- engineering and technology industrial biotechnology bioprocessing technologies fermentation
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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.
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.
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.
FP6-2004-MOBILITY-12
See other projects for this call
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.
Coordinator
PARIS
France
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.