WP1 Specifications & requirements for producing biofuels 1) AQC production, 2) photocatalytic & electrobiocatalytic processes, & 3) final efficiencies of the integrated system are beyond the state of the art.
WP2 Highly efficient procedures to prepare pure & monodisperse AQCs (>6 orders of magnitude better than the state of the art), using common wet chemical techniques, were developed, which transformed the application of AQCs at industrial level from a dream to a reality.
WP3’s models suggest that the AQC/metal oxide catalyst Cu5/CeO2 can underpin a sustainable, low cost & environmentally friendly energy vector, based on the photocatalytic production of H2. A 2-step photocatalytic H2O splitting cycle could be used in which O2 is removed from the oxide in the presence of sunlight, followed by H2O splitting in the dark, which regenerates the oxide & releases H2.
WP4 AQC photocatalysts are an alternative to noble metal nanoparticles. When combined with metal oxide semiconductors, they are a sustainable solution for photocatalyst synthesis.
WP5 did not obtain a better ethanol-producing strain, severely hampering development of a bioprocess, converting H2 & CO2 into biofuel. In future, a commercial partner could provide a H2-using ethanol-producing strain.
WP6 advanced the biocatalytic technology for converting CO2 to biofuels e.g. alcohols. Most microbial electrosynthesis studies use mixed cultures, leading to non specific conversion of CO2 to products that are hard to separate, reducing the Faradaic efficiency towards a single product. Our new pressurised reactor uses pure bacterial cultures (wild type or GM) leading to higher conversion efficiency & product yields. The reactor’s in situ H2 production system (tubular electrodes) overcomes H2 availability issues. VITO will pursue further upscaling. VITO had visits from the industry (e.g. Electrochaea) who want to use the H2 production system in future projects e.g. for methane generation.
WP7 A new concept for H2 production, & its use for biofuel manufacture, was shown for use at locations with available land & CO2 sources, but without renewable electricity. Use of this technology makes fuel production more flexible.
WP8 studied the market. We protected the technology, have FTO in most of the process, & have clients interested in buying parts of the technology (AQCs & in situ H2 generation via GDE). A spin off was created.
