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Development of carbon-rich biochar-mineral complexes for soil amendment, carbon sequestration and beyond (CarboPlex)

Objective

Aim of this project is to investigate and exploit the potentials of a new material termed biochar-mineral complex (BMC). The simple yet ground-breaking idea is to use common waste streams to produce BMCs with distinct properties. Primary target is the use of BMCs as soil amender, especially in soils, where the delicate but crucial structure of organo-mineral complexes is threatened by unsustainable soil use or climate change. Where pure biochar is known to face its limits, BMC because of its mineral part is assumed to enable much higher functionality (i.e. water and nutrient storage). To provide evidence-based information on production, properties and soil effects of BMC, a systematic study will be conducted. The highly interdisciplinary work is split into five strongly interconnected work packages, which cover the whole BMC lifespan from production to soil use and technology assessment. Most of the work will be conducted at the University of Edinburgh (UoE). A secondment is planned at Enrich Environmental Ltd., an innovative Irish waste treatment SME, where the potentials and requirements for successful large-scale implementation will be investigated. Introducing this original work to the scientific communities (i.e. waste, agriculture, soil, material science) is expected to make enormous impact. Strong attention is also paid to dissemination of the results to the industry, other stakeholders and the general public. The ER, in addition to the expected excellent research, profits greatly from new experiences with pyrolysis (UKBRC) and business management (Enrich) supporting his strive for an academic career as professor. The UoE benefits from the ER’s experiences in hydrothermal carbonization and gaining competence in BMCs. Enrich, in return, has strong interest to expand its range of products and to integrate innovative processes such as BMC production. Naturally, the ER, UoE and Enrich are strongly committed to the planed action and a most successful outcome.

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: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.

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Programme(s)

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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.

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.

MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EF

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Call for proposal

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

(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2014

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Coordinator

THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH
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.

€ 183 454,80
Address
OLD COLLEGE, SOUTH BRIDGE
EH8 9YL Edinburgh
United Kingdom

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Region
Scotland Eastern Scotland Edinburgh
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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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.

€ 183 454,80
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