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H2020Doctoral network2016–2021

GreenCarbon · Advanced Carbon Materials from Biowaste: Sustainable Pathways to Drive Innovative Green Technologies

Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Duration
2016-10-01 → 2021-03-31
EU contribution
€3,623,224
Participants
15
Scheme
MSCA-ITN-ETN

Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.

Results in brief

Advanced Carbon Materials from Biowaste: Sustainable Pathways to Drive Innovative Green Technologies

The energy crisis, environmental pollution and global warming are serious problems that are of great concern throughout the world. Materials as today are mostly derived from fossil fuels, leading to energy and environmental-related issues. Biomass-derived carbon materials are ideal candidates to replace fossil fuels-based ones in a wide range of applications. So far, excluding activated carbons, relatively little research has been conducted on the synthesis and characterisation of carbon materials based on natural resources. The objectives of the research programme are: (i) developing engineered thermochemical processes (based on pyrolysis and hydrothermal carbonisation from dry and wet biomass sources, respectively) to produce tailor-made biomass-derived carbons (BCs); (ii) developing novel low-cost carbon materials from BCs through a unique set of functionalisation protocols; (iii) using the resulting carbon materials in advanced applications in heterogeneous catalysis for renewable energy (e.g., pyrolysis vapours upgrading) as well as pollutants removal (e.g., CO2 capture in post-combustion and desulphurisation of biogas); and (iv) analysing the feasibility of using BCs as soil enhancers and carbon sequestration agents. The main goal of GreenCarbon was to empower the early-stage researchers (ESRs) through the provision of a comprehensive and coherent training package that will allow them to take the academic research into industry and to solve societal and industrial problems. The project consortium believes that this objective has been globally reached, since the training programme initially proposed has been implemented with almost 100% compliance. Regarding this, the following points have to be pointed out: -. A Personalised Training Programme (PTP) was developed for each researcher hired within the network according to her/his initial Career Development Plan (CDP). -. The PTPs were articulated around four pillars: (a) primary “on the job training”; (b) secondments to other partners within or outside the network; (c) training in complementary skills; and (4) network-wide training events and meetings. -. Regarding “on the job training”, all the ESRs joined research groups of recognised excellence at international level. All of them have been enrolled in high quality doctoral programmes. -. Concerning training in complementary skills, the three dedicated network-wide workshops were successfully held and received a very positive feedback from the ESRs.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

The energy crisis, environmental pollution and global warming are serious problems that are of great concern throughout the world. Around 40% of the world’s energy consumption is dedicated to the production of materials and chemicals. Thus, there is a need to develop high-performance materials based on renewable resources, simpler to synthesise and cost effective. Carbon materials derived from renewable resources (e.g., biomass) are ideal candidates to meet these needs. The main objective of our proposed Innovative Training Network is to develop new scientific knowledge, capability, technology, and commercial products for biomass-derived carbons (BCs); thus impacting the way that Europe uses and innovates with sustainable carbon materials. This will be accomplished through outstanding research and training programmes for fourteen early-stage researchers (ESRs). Our proposed research programme is feasible given the varied expertise and knowledge of the academic and industrial participants. We expect that GreenCarbon will improve our ability to rationally design a range of functionalised BC-derived materials using different individual and synergistically coupled processes and expand their practical applications. Our research programme comprehensively covers all aspects from precursors (the nature of biomass) to processing (thermochemical conversion, porosity development, chemical functionalisation) and application (e.g., CO2 capture, heterogeneous catalysis and chemicals from biomass) enabling a unique design of engineered sustainable BC materials. At the same time, our training programme is designed with the aim to empower the ESRs through the provision of a comprehensive and coherent training package, which includes complementary competencies and knowledge in all the science, engineering and business skills so as to be capable of deploying new technologies within different environments both inside and outside of academia.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

  • UNIVERSIDAD DE ZARAGOZA · ZaragozaCoordinatorSpain
  • ASTON UNIVERSITY · BirminghamUnited Kingdom
  • Biokol Sverige AB · StockholmSweden
  • DBFZ DEUTSCHES BIOMASSEFORSCHUNGSZENTRUM GEMEINNUTZIGE GMBH · LeipzigGermany
  • FRAUNHOFER GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FORDERUNG DER ANGEWANDTEN FORSCHUNG EV · MunchenGermany
  • HTCYCLE AG · MURCHIN OT RELZOWGermany
  • ORGANICS LIMITED · CoventryUnited Kingdom
  • PYREG GMBH · DORTHGermany
  • QUEEN MARY UNIVERSITY OF LONDON · LONDONUnited Kingdom
  • STOCKHOLMS UNIVERSITET · StockholmSweden
  • Surface Measurement Systems Limited · AlpertonUnited Kingdom
  • THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH · EdinburghUnited Kingdom
  • UNIVERSITAET HOHENHEIM · StuttgartGermany
  • UNIVERSITEIT GENT · GentBelgium
  • Viridor Waste Management Limited · ExeterUnited Kingdom

Links

Data: CORDIS, © European Union