Project description
Anaerobic digestion of airplane food waste
Airlines are a big source of food waste. According to the International Air Transport Association, airlines produced 5.2 million tonnes of waste in 2017, and the figure is set to double by 2030. While the statistic includes a host of disposable products, around 20 % is directly linked to the food service and another 20 % to packaging plastic waste. An additional important source of waste is wastewater from toilets. The EU-funded DIGESTAIR project is investigating the use of anaerobic digestion – microorganisms breaking down food waste in the absence of oxygen, removing pathogens and producing methane at the same time – to further improve onboard waste management. If successful, it will significantly reduce the environmental impact of passengers and will allow much more competitive management of Category 1 waste generated on international flights. The DIGESTAIR solution will be transferable to other sectors like cruisers and sea transport.
Objective
The DIGESTAIR project addresses the topic JTI-CS2-2018-CFP08-AIR-03-04 within The Clean Sky 2 programme and it can contribute to the Eco-design Transverse Activity in Airframe ITD. According to the International Air Transport Association, airlines produced 5.2 million tons of waste last year. Recent data from Eurostat revealed that up to 36% of the air passenger transport in Europe has extra EU destinations producing Category 1 ICW. The proportion of food waste and plastic packaging generated on board can account for up to 20% of the total amount of waste. Although some airlines are implementing standards to control and eventually reduce their environmental impact, new initiatives for a better waste management need to be committed. The DIGESTAIR approach seeks to promote a technological solution to improve waste management on board by taking advantage of the well-known anaerobic digestion (AD) process. However, the application of AD technology in an aircraft environment requires research and innovation efforts since no attempts are documented up-to-date in the aviation sector.
The DIGESTAIR project involves a methodology that will ensure the accomplishment of the specific objectives based on prior experiences by considering the technical, security and hygiene requirements for an aircraft environment. A flexible and adaptable anaerobic digestion prototype with two different configurations will be manufactured: (i) two stage anaerobic process, and (ii) an alternative with membrane filtration unit in order to minimize size and weight and maximize the energy production. The prototype will be eco-designed, light, safe, and cost-efficient in terms of energy recovery and ICW treatment efficiency. Apart from the prototype, a simulation tool will be developed, which will help to boost prototype design and will be a valuable tool for future analyses of different scenarios and upscaling.
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.
- engineering and technology environmental biotechnology bioremediation bioreactors
- engineering and technology environmental engineering waste management
- engineering and technology mechanical engineering vehicle engineering aerospace engineering aircraft
- natural sciences computer and information sciences software software applications simulation software
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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.
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H2020-EU.3.4. - SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Smart, Green And Integrated Transport
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.3.4.5.4. - ITD Airframe
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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.
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.
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.
CS2-RIA - Research and Innovation action
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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.
(opens in new window) H2020-CS2-CFP08-2018-01
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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.
20018 San Sebastian
Spain
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.