CooCE

Welcome

The project was funded by

The exploitation of CO₂ capture, utilisation and storage technologies (CCUS) in industrial applications face significant challenges due to the high investment cost and the fierce international competition in the sectors concerned. Nonetheless, it is widely known that these industrial sectors currently account for 20% of global CO₂ emissions, and according to the 2-degree scenario of the Paris agreement, they should represent half of the stored CO₂ by 2050. In this frame, relevant sectors with high CO₂ emissions are for example steel, iron and cement making, biofuel production and waste incineration plants, oil refining, gas processing, hydrogen production.

The CooCE project has an absolute aim to accelerate the use of CCUS and revolutionize CO₂ capture and utilization by closing carbon loops in a circular economy approach. Thus, CooCE targets to develop (TRL 4) and demonstrate (TRL 5-6) a novel biotechnological platform in which CO₂ (either from biogas or exhaust gasses) is converted into a) upgraded biofuels for flexible on-site hybrid energy storage and b) high market value platform chemicals, namely biosuccinic acid and polyhydroxyalkanoates, that form the building blocks of various biopolymers and bioproducts.

In this frame, the project will contribute to the shift towards a resource-efficient, low-carbon and climateresilient economy as the expected savings of greenhouse gas emissions from the proposed system will be higher than 100% compared to those generated during the production of conventional gasoline as fuel or corresponding chemicals for polymers. The final products will undergo a preliminary market analysis and be replicated in other relevant industrial scenarios to ensure the large-scale uptake of the CooCE outcomes beyond the project lifetime. This will additionally offer unique opportunities for symbiosis within various high polluting industrial sectors (e.g. cement and steel production) and Renewable Energy providers, significantly fostering climate-resilient economy. Finally, particular attention is given to the enrichment of professional curricula with the principles of CCUS and, for that reason it is envisioned that a bespoke programme, namely “CooCE- Training Programme” will be piloted to personnel from industries and SMEs as well as young professionals.

Within the project, a consortium of commercial and academic partners is formed, with the ambitious goal of developing CCUS processes and integrating them with existing industrial workflows. The work is planned in accordance with the European Sustainable Development Goals and considering Circular Bioeconomy principles.