CooCE – Harnessing potential of biological CO2 capture for Circular Economy

Overall concept of CooCE project

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.

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.

Research Institutes

SME

Deliverables

Duration (months)

CooCE is 36 months project and is comprised by 7 work packages (WPs). The WPs feed into each other, as well as deliver independent research results at the highest level.

WP1

Management and
Coordination

Ensure timely and high-quality implementation of the project and provide efficient administration and financial coordination; Data and Intellectual property rights (IPR) management.

WP2

Biomethane production
and evaluation of
target applications

Develop a pilot system for biologically methanation using CO2 originating from fuel gases/biogas; establish robust microbial consortia tolerant to toxicants for high CO2 hydrogenation efficiency (>95%); operate system under intermittent conditions

WP3

Succinic acid production
and evaluation of
target applications

Increase a) bioSA yields to 80% in respect to 1 stgeneration production, b) bioSA titer (≥40 g/L), c) CH 4 purity to >90%.

WP4

PHA production and evaluation
of target applications

Construct a system for biologically mediated biopolymer production using CO2 originating from biogas; select and establish the best microbial strains for PHA production with high CO2 consumption efficiency; demonstrate the feasibility of producing 3 g of PHA/day.

WP5

Sustainability analysis and
socio-economic impact

Assess the sustainability of the value chains of CooCE considering the environmental, socio-economic, economic and engagement with stakeholders to provide a holistic sustainability analysis.

WP6

Market potential and CooCE replication

Develop appropriate strategies for stakeholder engagement to support replication and exploitation activities. Communication of the project to all relevant stakeholders; engage with stakeholders’ views and raise awareness on CooCE approach; develop strategies to ensure the successful replication and exploitation of the project.

WP7

Innovation outreach, impact, communication and exploitation

Maximize the outreach and impact of innovations of the CooCE project to all stakeholders by implementing a comprehensive dissemination/ communication plan for the project’s outcomes.

Here you can find interesting information, including our public reports and dissemination package as well as links to relevant projects. Just click on one of the available options!

Deliverables

Dissemination

Relative Projects

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news

CooCE kick-off meeting

The kick-off meeting of CooCE was held virtually via the Zoom platform on Monday 29th November 2021 with the aim to establish a detailed overview

The “CooCE Sustain” e-platform constitutes a benchmark of the project. It is an online freely accessible platform allowing the interaction between the project’s outcomes and the end-users/relevant stakeholders (e.g. industry, bio-based producers/ consumers, public authorities etc.). The e-platform includes a holistic CO2 Management
Data Hub containing essential data and outcomes from the project’s WorkPackages.