Objective
WASTE2FUELS aims to develop next generation biofuel technologies capable of converting agrofood waste (AFW) streams into high quality biobutanol.
Butanol is one of the most promising biofuels due to its superior fuel properties compared to current main biofuels, bioethanol and biodiesel. In addition to its ability to reduce carbon emissions, its higher energy content (almost 30% more than ethanol), its ability to blend with both gasoline and diesel, its lower risk of separation and corrosion, its resistance to water absorption, allowing it to be transported in pipes and carriers used by gasoline, it offers a very exciting advantage for adoption as engines require almost no modifications to use it.
The main WASTE2FUELS innovations include:
• Development of novel pretreatment methods for converting AFW to an appropriate feedstock for biobutanol production thus dramatically enlarging current available biomass for biofuels production
• Genetically modified microorganisms for enhancing conversion efficiencies of the biobutanol fermentation process
• Coupled recovery and biofilm reactor systems for enhancing conversion efficiencies of Acetone-Butanol-Ethanol fermentation
• Development of new routes for biobutanol production via ethanol catalytic conversion
• Biobutanol engine tests and ecotoxicological assessment of the produced biobutanol
• Valorisation of the process by-products
• Development of an integrated model to optimise the waste-to-biofuel conversion and facilitate the industrial scale-up
• Process fingerprint analysis by environmental and techno-economic assessment
• Biomass supply chain study and design of a waste management strategy for rural development
By valorising 50% of the unavoidable and undervalorised AFW as feedstock for biobutanol production, WASTE2FUELS could divert up to 45 M tonnes of food waste from EU landfills, preventing 18 M tonnes of GHG and saving almost 0.5 billion litres of fossil fuels.
Fields of science
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringwaste management
- engineering and technologyindustrial biotechnologymetabolic engineering
- engineering and technologyindustrial biotechnologybioprocessing technologiesfermentation
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsliquid fuels
- engineering and technologyindustrial biotechnologybiomaterialsbiofuels
Programme(s)
Topic(s)
Call for proposal
H2020-LCE-2015-1-two-stage
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Funding Scheme
RIA - Research and Innovation actionCoordinator
28006 Madrid
Spain
Participants (20)
80138 Napoli
47071 Valladolid
1040 Wien
R93 Carlow
WC1E 6BT London
13353 Berlin
84105 Beer Sheva
00185 Roma
28040 Madrid
50009 Zaragoza
7610001 Rehovot
CV1 2TT Coventry
80125 Napoli
28042 Madrid
80122 Napoli
12277 Berlin
265 00 Rio Patra
46047 Porto Mantovano Mn
Participation ended
41014 Sevilla
31077 Toulouse