The overarching objective of Project IMplementation Plan for Actions on CCUS Technologies in the SET Plan - IMPACTS9 - is to support the realisation of the SET Plan Implementation Plan on CCS and CCU (hereafter referred to as CCUS). Multiple studies have highlighted that CCUS technologies are expected to play a critical role in the decarbonisation of the European energy and industrial sectors. However, to date CCUS has not been developed in Europe to the extent needed if the EU is to deliver on its climate goals and support the transition to a low carbon economy. It is important that there is a renewed focus on the development of CCUS projects in Europe. In 2016 the European Commission, SET-Plan countries, and industry, outlined a Declaration of Intent for CCUS containing 10 targets for 2020, the combination of which will, if delivered, represent a material step towards commercialisation of CCUS technologies in Europe. A SET-Plan Temporary Working Group 9 was established to develop an Implementation Plan which set out eight Research & Innovation (R&I) Activities which can help to realise the 2020 CCUS targets. The Implementation Plan was approved by the European Commission in September 2017. IMPACTS9 will support delivery of the R&I activities outlined in the Implementation Plan for CCUS through the provision of coordination and support to the key public and private stakeholders that are well placed to progress the SET-Plan Implementation Plan actions in the near term. IMPACTS9 will establish sub-groups to support delivery of the R&I activities and progress CCUS. Each work package is designed to support the work of these sub-groups in delivering the R&I activities. The consortium is composed of organisations highly representative of these stakeholders and will engage with them for their active contribution in the implementation of the SET Plan.

Biomass-derived liquid transportation fuels have been proposed as part of the solution to mitigate climate change and many countries are providing incentives to support the growth of bioenergy utilization. Nevertheless, most biofuels currently are made from food-related sources and have a negative impact on food production. The development of cost-effective solutions to minimize carbon waste and inhibit biogenic effluent gas emissions in sustainable biofuel production processes is still at an early stage of development. FLEXBY intends to go significantly boost this development by producing advanced biofuel through an innovative, cost-efficient process that will reach TRL5. At FLEXBY we will produce biofuel using biogenic waste from microalgae cultivated in domestic wastewater as well as the oily sludge from refineries. This residual biomass will undergo a microwave pyrolysis treatment to produce three different fractions: bio-liquid, pyro-gas, and bio-char. The bio-liquid fraction will be converted to jet, diesel, and marine bio-fuels (heavy transport biofuels) through a versatile and innovative Hydrogen-free Hydrodeoxygenation. The gaseous fraction will be converted to bio-hydrogen through a steam-reforming water gas-shift process (WGS) and preferential CO oxidation (PrOx). Both liquid and gaseous biofuel will be tested and validated in fuel cells to produce electricity, along with an evaluation of their respective suitability for the transport sector. FLEXBY promotes a circular economy by recycling biomass residues and all sub-products obtained during the project. The combined expertise of the industrially-driven consortium (formed by 1 LE, 4 SMEs, 2 universities, 1 non-profit association, and 2 RTOs) from 5 different countries will be able to achieve these objectives. In terms of impact, FLEXBY will increase the use of advanced biofuels in the heavy transport sector, mitigating climate impact in key areas of the global economy

ICO2NIC will couple developments in polymer membrane-based CO2 capture technology with a novel Gas Diffusion electrochemical cell for CO2 to formic acid conversion. Valorisation of formic acid via innovative biological processing routes will deliver high value products and materials. By making CCU (carbon capture and utilization) profitable, the ICO2NIC approach will enable global emitters to capture and valorise waste CO2, paving the way for a significant reduction in global emissions. The ICO2NIC consortium will form a complete value chain, from CO2 emitter (TUPRAS), to end users (TUPRAS, P&G), inclusive of carbon capture and purification (CPT), electrochemical conversion (AVT), and downstream processing (B.Fab, NPI). This industrial representation will enable validation of an integrated business model that has the potential to deliver a viable economic model for all parties (without external financial aid). Leading RTOs will support the integration of RES through digital monitoring and control systems (IDE), and confirm the cost efficiency, environmental performance and scalability of the proposed concept through development of a robust TEA and process design (SINTEF) and LCA (TNO); paving the way for capture of 6.45 Mt of CO2 from TUPRAS’ refineries by 2040, and up to 75 Mtpa CO2 in the EU refinery sector in the long term.

TAKE-OFF is an industrially driven project that will be a game-changer in the cost effecTAKE-OFF is an industrially driven project that will be a game-changer in the cost effective production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from CO2 and hydrogen. Due to their strict criteria in terms of physical and chemical properties, the aviation sector is highly limited in the number of options for meeting sustainability goals. The unique TAKE-OFF technology is based on conversion of CO2 and H2 to SAF via ethylene as intermediate. The industrial partners SkyNRG (SAF developer) and FEV (power systems) will team up with ground-breaking research groups at CNRS (catalyst development), TNO (reactor and process design), and RWTH (engine out emissions reduction) to deliver a highly innovative process which produces SAF at lower costs, higher energy efficiency and higher carbon efficiency to the crude jet fuel product than the current benchmark Fischer-Tropsch process. The project will further leverage the investments in the ALIGN-CCUS (ERA-NET ACT) project with the involvement of key industrial players in the development of synthetic sustainable fuels. TAKE-OFF’s key industrial players are RWE (power producer), MHPSE (energy technology provider), and AKEU (electrolysis systems), allowing the demonstration of the full technology chain, utilizing industrial captured CO2 and electrolytically produced hydrogen. The demonstration activities will provide valuable data to the University of Southern Denmark for comprehensive technical and economic and environmental analyses with an outlook on Chemical Factories of the Future. The consortium is further supplemented by the leading industry association, CO2 Value Europe, for communication and exploitation. The achievement of the project objectives will contribute directly to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, European Green Deal, and the Renewable Energy Directive II, where sustainable aviation fuels are receiving increased attention.

INITIATE proposes a novel symbiotic process to produce urea from steel residual gases. The project will demonstrate a reduction in; primary energy intensity of 30%; carbon footprint of 95%; the raw material intensity of 40%; and waste production of 90%. Additional to this level of reduction, the concept represents a positive business case. INITIATE will demonstrate operating reliability and technology-based innovations in a real industrial setting at TRL7 by producing urea NH3 from steel residual gases as part of three test campaigns spanning six weeks each. The reduction in primary energy intensity, carbon footprint, raw material intensity and waste production will be assessed and verified on a regional and European level by advanced dynamic modelling and Life Cycle Assessment commiserated with ISO 14404 guidelines. The project will develop a commercial implementation roadmap for immediate deployment of INITIATE after project conclusion and for ensuring roll-out of INITIATE and similar symbiotic systems. Designing a robust and bankable first-of-a-kind commercial plant to produce urea from residual steel gases will allow implementation after project conclusion. Long term roll-out will be enabled by defining collaborative strategy for stakeholders alignment to implement INITIATE and similar symbiotic systems. Finally, effective and inclusive communication and dissemination of project results are maximized by organizing summer schools and creation of Massive Open Online Course. INITIATE will take advantage of a consortium spanning the full value chain, including major steel and urea industrial players (Arcelor Mittal, SSAB, Stamicarbon, NextChem), functional material suppliers (Johnson Matthey, Kisuma Chemicals), multi-disciplinary researchers (TNO, POLIMI, Radboud University) and experienced promoters of CCUS, circularity and symbiosis topics to public (CO2 Value Europe).