Chemistry technology

Turning agri-food waste and biomass into sustainable polymers. The Polymers-5B project develops novel alternative biological polymers synthesized from biobased monomers sourced from underexploited second-generation feedstocks, such as agri/food waste and biomass, obeying the food first and cascading principle. Polymers-5B brings together cutting-edge technologies and knowledge to develop and drive innovation in biocatalysis and green chemistry processes, generating novel bio-based polymers like polyesters and polyamides with pendent functional groups (e.g. hydroxy, carboxylic, amine, epoxy, thiol, etc.), polyphenols and polyfurans, which mimic fossil-based polymers properties, targeting improved biodegradability. These new polymers will be blended to provide valuable bio-composites [...]

Revolutionising soil management in horticulture. The SPIN-FERT project integrates optimised and validated innovations in soil management practices and improves peat-free substrates to enhance soil health in vegetable, fruit and ornamental crops. SPIN-FERT develops advanced soil health tools and sustainable horticultural practices, transforming agricultural by-products into valuable resources. By doing so and promoting eco-friendly substrates, SPIN-FERT improves agricultural productivity, reduces environmental impact, and supports climate change mitigation. In particular, SPIN-FERT incorporates biostimulants and agro-industrial wastes to enhance soil fertility, employing AI-supported soil assessment tools, lab-on-chip devices, automated image analysis, and precision irrigation systems. SPIN-FERT optimises the production [...]

The Catalan network of innovation in renewable hydrogen. The H2CAT network reunites the major Catalan research groups who focus on the technological advancement of renewable hydrogen to support them in the process of valorizing and transferring research results to the social, productive and commercial environment of different application sectors. The network consolidates a scientific-technological model to drive it towards innovation and scalability in its benchmark industries to position Catalonia as a world leader in renewable hydrogen, not only in the generation of knowledge and the development of solutions, but also in the creation of a transfer [...]

New technology for the generation of green hydrogen. The H-LEAF project develops a PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane) electrolyser based on a new national patented technology. H-LEAF focuses on the research of new scalable and sustainable components, coatings, materials and processes to overcome current limitations in the provision of materials for hydrogen production, vital to the energy transition in Spain. The project promotes scientific research to obtain new electrode and membrane designs using scalable industrial printing techniques free of perfluorinated chemicals. H-LEAF develops new bipolar plates using technologies such as stamped stainless steel substrate and 3D printing [...]

Acceleration and adoption of innovative solutions based on microcapsules for the development and production of biopesticides. The FarmCOM project creates an innovative platform for multidisciplinary research to produce biopesticides with acceleration and adoption of innovative microcapsule solutions. These solutions will provide a significant contribution to the sustainable use of pesticides and the management plan of agricultural crops, as well as to the environmental objectives of the Spanish agricultural strategy in the framework of the common agricultural policy (CAP) 2023-2030. FarmCOM is a transfer of experience and know-how between companies in the industrial and academic sectors such [...]

Solar generation of hydrogen from wastewater in economical and scalable photocatalytic panels. The HACDOS project aims to design, produce and validate low-cost solar photocatalytic panels for hydrogen production from wastewater. This process entails the degradation of aqueous pollutants, mostly organic, through solar photocatalytic reforming in anaerobic conditions with concomitant hydrogen production. HACDOS is focused on scaling up the process and pilot-scale validation of this technology, using wastewater as raw materials and under natural sunlight. Among others, the key performance parameters monitored are pollutant removal, hydrogen productivity and purity, hydraulic residence time, and durability and robustness under [...]

FormPlate seeks to optimise the energy efficiency, cost and durability of metallic bipolar plates, a key component to guarantee the energy efficiency of proton exchange membrane (PEM) hydrogen fuel cells for application in the automotive sector. The technological innovation of the project is based on: New geometric plate designs by Finite Element Method (FEM) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations. Development and improvement of plate manufacturing techniques. Implementation of alternative metallic materials to reduce the cost and weight of the plates. Development of protective, electrically conductive and corrosion-resistant coatings. The energy transition towards electromobility and sustainability [...]

PRISTINE in a nutshell Removing Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) from water streams thanks to the PRISTINE Integrated Solution ABOUT THE PROJECT LIFE PRISTINE project aims to develop the PRISTINE Integrated Solution to remove Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) from water streams. The PRISTINE Integrated Solution will be adaptable on a case-by-case basis for drinking water (DW), to protect humans from CECs, and for wastewater (WW), to protect the environment and remove these contaminants from the water cycle. LIFE PRISTINE will focus on [...]

Development of a device for capturing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) through a chemical reaction that converts carbon dioxide into carbonate with the objective to fight against climate change and reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The CAPTACO2 project develops an innovative device that uses special polysulfone membranes which manage to obtain a capture solution inside and produce the conversion of carbon dioxide into carbonate. During the first phase of development, the CAPTACO2 project has tested different membranes configurations and capture solutions in order to maximise the efficiency of the process. The most efficient configuration has been [...]

Development of benign cascade extractive biorefinery for converting agri-food side streams into high-value polyphenolic bioactives and functional fibres for pharma, cosmeceuticals, nutraceuticals and food products. The PHENOLEXA product has the objective to unlock the potential of polyphenols-rich agri-side streams (olive, grape shoots and leaves, chicory, and onion residues) to procure bioactive compounds of high value via the development of cascade smart biorefinery which combines pretreatment of the biomass with benign environmentally friendly green solvents extraction technology. According to Eurostat, the agricultural sector is the biggest producer of the residual biomass in Europe, generating annually approximately 400 [...]

Improved bio-inocula and living mulching technologies for integrated management of horticultural crops. Nowadays, the use of bioinocula in commercial agriculture sector is hindered by several factors, among them insufficient knowledge of microbial ecology and formulation efficiency, as well as less farmers awareness of application technology and requirements under different cropping systems. The project BioHortiTech has the objective to improve the knowledge on ecological dynamics of bioinocula for plant protection and nutrition, in both integrated and organic farming systems with living mulching under contrasting environmental and climatic conditions. Within the project, which counts with the participation of [...]

Integrated, innovative and viable solutions to reduce the use of copper and its environmental impact in SUDOE region vineyards. The use of phytosanitary products derived from copper to prevent diseases in organic and conventional viticulture causes serious environmental problems. According to the European Union, vineyards concentrate the highest amount of copper in soils. In this sense, the COPPERPLACE project develops and validates a series of integrated, innovative, and viable solutions to reduce the use of copper and its environmental impact in vineyards. The solutions promoted within the project will be transferable and durable to allow that the [...]

New microcapsules with perfumes for detergency and cleaning products that do not generate microplastics. The GreenCAP project pursues to improve the leadership and excellence of the Spanish company in the development of detergents and cleaning products that do not generate microplastics. In recent years, the application of microcapsules has spread widely in sectors as different as food, medical, cosmetic or textile due to the benefits that these systems present, with respect to the use of active compounds without encapsulation. However, current capsules contain non-degradable polymers and are defined as generating microplastics. This problem also affects the [...]

Radical innovations to recover minerals and metals from seawater desalination brines. The SEA4VALUE project, coordinated by Eurecat, has the objective to develop a Multi-mineral Modular Brine Mining Process (MMBMP) for the recovery of valuable metals and minerals from brines produced in sea-water desalination plants (SWDP). The innovation promoted by the project improves the economic feasibility of well-established concentration and crystallisation processes (capacitive deionisation, membrane crystallisation, bipolar electrodialysis, multi-effect distillation) while performing research on innovative materials to develop the next generation separation processes enabling the production of raw materials from seawater brines. Eurecat, which participates to the [...]

Development of a photoelectrocatalytic tandem reactor (TPER) to manufacture chemical products from renewable energies based on CO2, water and sunlight, integrating the capture and conversion of CO2 in a single dispositive. The SunCoChem project, led by Eurecat, aims to provide the chemical industry with an alternative to produce oxo-chemicals without using raw materials derived from carbon or oil. Based on the single-unit CO2 capture and conversion architecture to design a self-sufficient device, SunCoChem's innovation manages to reduce costs, reduce CO2 emissions and improve the efficiency of converting energy from sunlight to chemicals. In addition, the project-driven [...]