Project description
Harnessing water for sustainable chemistry
Turning waste into valuable chemicals sounds like science fiction, but this is exactly what EU research aims to do. Today’s chemical industry is searching for cleaner, more sustainable methods, yet many promising processes still rely on polluting or costly ingredients. One big hurdle? The need for traditional electron donors in biocatalytic redox reactions. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the Waste2Chem project is using water instead, a move that requires smart energy input and precise catalyst design. By anchoring engineered enzymes directly onto the water-splitting catalyst, the project ensures efficient electron transfer and easy recycling. With expertise in enzyme engineering and green chemistry, the project is creating a toolbox for the future of chemical manufacturing.
Objective
The chemical industry is embracing the need for sustainable and eco-friendly processes, with biocatalytic redox reactions emerging as promising candidates due to their ability to perform selective transformations under mild conditions. However, a major hurdle lies in the reliance on traditional stoichiometric electron donors, which pose environmental and economic constraints. Electrochemical approaches, while promising, are still nascent and require specialized infrastructure, limiting their widespread adoption. To overcome these limitations, this project proposes an innovative approach that harnesses water as an electron donor for biocatalytic redox reactions. This shift necessitates external energy input and suitable catalysts to convert the energy into the oxidation power needed to oxidize water. The project introduces a novel strategy of selectively immobilizing biocatalysts on the water oxidation catalyst surface. This approach facilitates efficient electron transfer, minimizes oxidative inactivation of the biocatalysts, and enables easy recycling of the composite catalyst material. The core innovation lies in the design and creation of fusion proteins that link the biocatalysts with anchor peptides using flexible or rigid linkers. This controlled immobilization strategy enhances energy coupling efficiency, mitigates ROS-induced enzyme inactivation, and paves the way for more efficient and sustainable oxyfunctionalization processes. This highly interdisciplinary project, spanning biocatalysis, chemistry, enzyme engineering, and material science, capitalizes on the fellow's proficiency in enzyme engineering and biocatalysis in combination with world-leading expertise of Prof. Frank Hollmann from TU Delft in green chemistry and biocatalytic oxyfunctionalizations.
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 engineering waste management waste treatment processes recycling
- natural sciences chemical sciences electrochemistry electrolysis
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- natural sciences chemical sciences catalysis biocatalysis
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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.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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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.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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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) HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-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.
2628 CN Delft
Netherlands
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.