Participants
- CIESOL – University of Almería
- Research Group “Desalination and Photosynthesis,” University of Almería (BIO 352)
- Research Group “Automation, Robotics, and Mechatronics,” University of Almería (TEP 197)
Contacts
Francisco Gabriel Acién Fernández (facien@ual.es)
José Luis Guzmán Sánchez (joseluis.guzman@ual.es)
Funds:
Horizon Europe Framework Programme (HORIZON)
Sustainable, secure and competitive energy supply (HORIZON-CL5-2023-D3-02-07)
Current Situation:
In progress
Summary
The NIAGARA project aims to make a significant contribution to the development of a sustainable process chain, involving the collection and transformation of biogenic waste available in the EU (wastewater, digestate, sewage sludge, etc.), the production of carbohydrate-rich microalgae, and an innovative continuous and flexible HTC (hydrothermal carbonization) process. This process will convert the mixture of biogenic waste and microalgae into a solid fraction (hydrochar) and an aqueous phase. The latter will be transformed into an advanced biofuel—a biogenic syngas rich in hydrogen—through gasification and reforming of the aqueous phase. Additionally, syngas cleaning processes will be implemented to ensure full compatibility with solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC). The NIAGARA value chain will have a very low carbon footprint, with high potential to become carbon-negative over time.
NIAGARA will drastically improve advanced biofuel production by combining complementary scientific and industrial expertise while promoting promising market applications (e.g., fuel cells). Its methodology is based on the ambitious idea of producing advanced biofuels from widely available biomass and waste in the EU under a fully circular approach, making the entire value chain completely sustainable. The main market application targeted by NIAGARA is high-efficiency electricity generation using SOFC technology, which involves:
-
Developing key innovative processes with high carbon efficiency.
-
Assessing their performance in terms of carbon footprint, energy balance, and production yields.
-
Demonstrating their integration and overall compatibility to achieve negative carbon emissions throughout the biofuel production chain up to electricity generation.
The NIAGARA project will help reduce the technological, economic, and social barriers faced by these processes in their development up to TRL5. The results of this work will contribute directly and significantly to the European Union’s global renewable energy objectives.