ABATE project launches to demonstrate bio-based refinery intermediates for transport fuels

Tuesday, 15 October 2024 

Brussels, 19 September 2024 – A new Horizon Europe project - ABATE - kicked off in Brussels today, with the aim of demonstrating combined thermochemical and biochemical technologies to valorise lignocellulosic biomass residues into advanced bio-based refinery intermediates that meet the needs of the transport sector.

“The ABATE consortium will build on existing research conducted in the Horizon 2020 BioMates project, also coordinated by CERTH, which validated at TRL5 a two-step valorisation process for lignocellulosic biomass. This creates a strong basis for further technology scale-up and demonstration in ABATE.”

–    Stella Bezergianni, Research Director at CERTH - The Centre for Research & Technology, Hellas

Energy security is a critical issue for the EU and intermediate bioenergy carriers can provide a low emission, local source of renewable fuels. ABATE will demonstrate their potential use in hard to electrify transport sectors (marine and aviation) and aims to offer 90%-120% greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions compared to fossil fuels.

Combined thermochemical and biochemical technologies

In ABATE, residual lignocellulosic biomass is first converted into fast pyrolysis bio-oil (FPBO) and biochar. CO₂ from the FPBO production will be captured and converted into methanol, mitigating GHG emissions from the pyrolysis step. The FPBO is then stabilised into a high-quality advanced bio-based intermediate, which can be directly fed into conventional refineries. The stabilisation will be performed via a single hydroprocessing step enabled by a novel catalytic system. The stabilisation will be efficiently integrated with green hydrogen production and biological carbon capture and utilisation (CCU).

ABATE officially started activities on 1 September 2024 and will run for four years. The consortium comprises 14 partners from 10 countries and is coordinated by CERTH - The Centre for Research & Technology, Hellas. Regular updates from the project will be provided on a dedicated LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/abate-project

Contact

Coordination: Stella Bezergianni, CERTH - The Centre for Research & Technology, Hellas sbezerg@certh.gr

Communication & Media: Greenovate! Europe, info@greenovate-europe.eu

Project data

• Grant agreement ID: 101172958
• Call topic: HORIZON-CL5-2024-D3-01-03 - Demonstration of improved intermediate renewable energy carrier technologies for transport fuels
• EU contribution: €9,057,774.78
• Consortium partners: CERTH - The Centre for Research & Technology, Hellas; University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague; BP Europa; Topsoe; Fraunhofer UMSICHT Oberhausen; ifeu - Institut für Energie- und Umweltforschung Heidelberg; Imperial College; Greenovate! Europe; RISE Research Institutes of Sweden; Pyrocell; Vinci Technologies; RE-CORD – Renewable Energy Consortium for Research and Demonstration; FUNDACION CENER - National Renewable Energy Centre of Spain.

Keywords

Sustainable advanced biofuels, bio-intermediates, jet fuel, marine fuel, fast pyrolysis, hydrodeoxygenation, hydrotreatment; stabilisation, refinery, integration, decarbonisation, demonstration, carbon-neutral fuel, CCU