Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - WASTE2FUELS (Sustainable production of next generation biofuels from waste streams)

Teaser

Context of the project:One of the major challenges Europe will face in the coming decades is to make its energy system clean, secure and efficient while ensuring EU industrial leadership in low-carbon energy technologies. The production of sustainable biofuels that generate a...

Summary

Context of the project:

One of the major challenges Europe will face in the coming decades is to make its energy system clean, secure and efficient while ensuring EU industrial leadership in low-carbon energy technologies. The production of sustainable biofuels that generate a clear and net greenhouse gas (GHG) saving without negatively impacting on biodiversity and land use is one of the main EU objectives. One of the main untapped sources of biomass potential lies in agrofood waste (AFW). WASTE2FUELS aims to develop novel and optimise existing technologies in order to convert unavoidable AFW (food waste and agricultural residues) streams into high quality biofuel for use as a direct substitution for virgin fossil fuels.

Overall objectives of the project:

WASTE2FUELS aims to develop next generation biofuel technologies capable of converting AFW streams into high quality biobutanol. The partners of the project were active in:
- The development of novel pre-treatment methods for converting AFWs to an appropriate feedstock for biobutanol production
- In genetical modification of microorganisms for enhancing conversion efficiencies of the biobutanol fermentation process
- The development of integrated recovery-fermentation system coupling inline the solvent recovery and biofilm reactor systems for enhancing conversion efficiencies of Acetone-Butanol-Ethanol (ABE) fermentation
- The development of new routes for biobutanol production via ethanol catalytic conversion
- The valorisation of the process by-products
- The development of an integrated model to optimise the waste-to-biofuel conversion and facilitate the industrial scale-up
- The process fingerprint analysis by environmental and techno-economic assessment
- The biomass supply chain study and design of a waste management strategy for rural development. The biobutanol engine tests and ecotoxicological assessment of the produced biobutanol is also scheduled during the second period of the project

Work performed

The work performed focused on the following activities:

The work is going on according to the Gantt except for the Task 2.4 “Clostridia mutations to increase their butanol tolerance”. Where ABENGOA was the partner responsible. During the first year of the project, ABENGOA communicated that it could not carry out the activity anymore. According to the PO, the Consortium was integrated with a new partner INSAT that successfully started the activity at M12. Therefore, the task progress is suffering a delay. The project is according to the Gantt:
- The pre-treatment investigation was successfully completed except for the enzymatic hydrolysis that - according to the proposed Gantt – is still in progress.
- A library of ligno-cellulolytic enzymes was developed and a panel of mixtures tested on the four different types of untreated AFWs. A designer cellulosomal complex was also developed which was found to be even more efficient than the free enzyme mixture.
- A novel fermentation system - based on the concept of simulating moving bed applied to packed bed biofilm reactors, PBBRs - was proposed and characterized. The adsorption/desorption system was selected as a potential ABE recovery system to be integrated in line with the PBBRs.
- The catalytic conversion of ethanol to butanol is in progress. Pure ethanol was converted to butanol at successfully yield and selectivity. The conversion of the ethanol in ethanol-water solutions is successfully in progress. The interesting results will be proved in the test unit to be realized during the second period of the project.
- The high value by-products from AFWs regarded proteins, lipids, antioxidants and vitamins were successfully extracted by means of innovative extraction techniques. The analysis of the characterization of extracted compounds proved that high-added value is expected for the compounds. The energy valorisation of residues from the several steps of the butanol production process is in progress.
- The process model developed so far have supported the data interpretation of the experimental tests, the selection of optimal operating conditions of the proposed units, and the selection of the most promising technologies for the proposed process. The update of the model is in progress. The updated model will allow to simulate the proposed process and to assess the performances as a function of the tuning variables.
- The project has been supported – and it is still now – by a careful analysis of technical, environment and legal risks, associated with project execution.
- The activities devoted to the assessment of the process finger print - Life Cycle Assessment, Life Cycle Costing, Social Life Cycle Assessment – have just regarded the development of templates to collect relevant data for the tasks.

Final results

Progress beyond the state of the art:

The present project has the ambition to lead the EU into the next generation of sustainable biofuels, domestic energy production and advanced waste management. Our ground-breaking project objectives will lead to significant knowledge advancements to the state-of-the-art:
- Advancements in biomass pre-treatment processes
- Advancement in metabolic engineering of the butanol production processes
- Advancement in coupled recovery and biofilm ABE reactor systems
- Advancements in the catalytic conversion of ethanol into butanol
- Contribution of new knowledge from biobutanol engine testing and ecotoxicological assessments of the produced biobutanol
- Advancements in the valorisation of by-products
- An integrated model to monitor and optimise the waste-to-biofuel conversion and facilitate the industrial scale-up
- Advancements in determining the process fingerprint
- Advancement of knowledge as a result of biomass supply chain analysis.

Potential impacts:

WASTE2FUELS is a high impact project for the circular economy as it is hinged on using the suitable fractions of food waste for fuel production. The high impact of this concept is by performing research work towards making this common-sense vision commercially viable in practice, and analysing the successful potential exploitation pathways. A proper and site-specific waste management and collection strategy should be in place in order to guarantee the commercial viability of the biorefinery. All these aspects are being considered during our project and are shaping the planning of winning exploitation pathways.
WASTE2FUELS contributes to the expected impacts set out in the topic LCE-11 Developing next generation technologies for biofuels and sustainable alternative fuels:
- The new developed technology pathways should permit the use of new feedstock sources that do not compete directly or indirectly with food or feed production for resources, or a more efficient conversion of the current ones
- A favourable energy balance is expected, as well as a significant potential for cost reduction, which would permit these fuels to eventually compete favourably with fossil or older-generation equivalent fuels
- The development of new technologies will permit robust and reliable assessment of the environmental and social benefits with respect to current technologies, notably in terms of GHG performance, energy balance, efficient use of natural resources, decentralised energy production, and job creation in rural areas, as well as secure and affordable energy supply in Europe or worldwide

Website & more info

More info: http://www.waste2fuels.eu/en/.