Demonstration of improved intermediate renewable energy carrier technologies for transport fuels

Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• Support de-risking the technology, boost scale-up of flexible intermediate bioenergy and synthetic renewable energy carriers and contribute to their market up-take.
• Respond to short- and medium-term needs for renewable fuels in transport.
• Increase flexibility, reliability and security of renewable energy supply in the transport sector.
• Increase available options for better integration of the energy system linking renewable energy production, storage and use via renewable energy intermediates.

Demonstration of technologies for the production of advanced intermediate bioenergy and synthetic renewable energy carriers from biogenic residues and wastes, microalgae, biogenic CO, CO2 or nitrogen and renewable hydrogen and all forms of renewable energy with reduced cost and GHG emissions above the state of the art. Proposals are expected to demonstrate that conversion technologies have already reached pilot scale TRL 5. The finished quality is expected to be suitable so that the intermediates can be either directly upgraded in existing refinery infrastructures and/or further purified and processed in existing chemical infrastructures to drop-in liquid and gaseous advanced biofuels and synthetic renewable fuels, or directly used for shipping propulsion or in other off-road transport. Examples are demonstration of production of bio-oils, raw alcohols, bio-liquids, biogas, syngas and thermally pre-treated solid biomass fuels from biogenic residues and wastes and microalgae oils through chemical, biochemical, thermochemical, biological, electrochemical pathways, as well as synthetic renewable analogues. The integration of these intermediates in transport and their application in hard to electrify transport sectors should be presented. The logistics for transportation and storage of the intermediates should be addressed. The sustainability and GHG reduction should be addressed on a life-cycle assessment basis. Proposals should provide information and assessment about the economic feasibility and the potential of scaling-up the technology at commercial scale as appropriate. The exploitation plans should include preliminary feasibility study and business plan also indicating the possible funding sources to be potentially used (such as private equity, the InvestEU, the EU Catalyst Partnership and the Innovation Fund).

Activities are expected to achieve TRL 6-7 by the end of the project – see General Annex B.