News

First joint Newsletter of SPIRE 02-2018 projects available for consultation!

Here you will find the latest advancements and key technologies developed on PERFORM, LIBERATE, DESTINY and SIMPLIFY.

The four projects address the same challenge: Processing of material feedstock using non-conventional energy sources.

Non-conventional energy sources, such as microwave, plasma, ultrasound a have already been applied in process intensification, mainly at lab scale, shond laser, as well as electrochemical and photochemical processes, wing significant improvements in process performance (e.g. improved selectivity, crystal nucleation, reaction speed easing raw material demand) for the benefit of energy efficiency.

The processes powered by non-conventional energy sources are suitable for connection to the electricity grid. They allow variable throughputs to better follow market demand and enable leaner production paradigms (e.g. decreased stock, production on demand). Such technologies are suitable for downscaling and continuous processing, where they can also be coupled with real-time monitoring allowing finer control of the transformations.

PERFORM reaches the middle term of the project

PERFORM celebrated on January 28 & 29 its M24 General Assembly meeting in an online version. There, the partners involved in the consortium informed about the progress of their different tasks.

A new milestone was achieved: the feedstock was selected and characterized. For that process, 7 analytical methods were developed for analysis.

User requirements and specifications for Perform Pilot platform and Conceptual Process Diagrams were delivered.

Likewise, the design and sizing of the reactor modelling were completed.

Preliminary Power Platform demonstration was done, and the system configuration is under the definition.

Finally, progress on the communication, dissemination, and exploitation activities was showcased.

Separated workshops were held to discuss the downstream processing and the two reaction lines. Other separated session was also organised to discuss Intellectual Property and Key Exploitable Results, to gather the opinion of the consortium companies.

“An LCA can provide decision support along the course of the project to verify and, if necessary, to apply corrections to the process in order to achieve more positive impact environmental indicators.”

Interview with Daniel Grau, Biobased Products and Bioenergy Engineer at University of Hohenheim and leader of the Process Assessment for PERFORM

How is an environmental life cycle assessment performed and why is it relevant for the project?

Society is becoming more aware of the importance of environmental protection and the environmental impacts associated with the production and use of products. This sparked interest in the development of methods that take these effects into account and contribute to understanding. The most important technique developed for this purpose is the four-phased life cycle assessment (LCA), a method standardized by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14040/44 standards.

The LCA is characterized by a large number of applications. The study can be used to identify opportunities that lead to the improvement of the environmental performance of products in the various phases of their life cycle. Furthermore, the LCA can help to inform decision-makers in industrial, governmental, or non-governmental organizations. This can influence decision making, e. g. in strategic planning, prioritization, and product or process design. The LCA is advantageous for the selection of relevant indicators of environmental properties including the associated measurement methods. Besides, the LCA can serve as a marketing tool, e. g., by implementing an environmental label or producing an environmental declaration for a product.

Within technical Projects such as the PERFORM project, an LCA can provide decision support along the course of the project to verify and, if necessary, to apply corrections to the process in order to achieve more positive impact environmental indicators.

“With our Techno-economic assessment, we provide a framework for comparative analysis, showing which parameters perform better to achieve PERFORM’s goals”

Interview with Gilbert Anderer, Marketing Consultant and Stefan Krawielitzki Head of R&D at AVA BIOCHEM, leaders of the Techno-Economic analysis and Market Assessment tasks for PERFORM.

Our company’s interest in the PERFORM project is aligned with our sustainability strategy: facilitate reducing the carbon footprint. We do so by testing the produced material in different formulations from the pilot

Interview with Konstantin Mpampos, Associate Specialist Chemistry R&D, Innovation at Perstorp AB

What is PERSTORP’s role in PERFORM? Why is it interesting for the company to participate in this project?

The main role Perstorp has in the PERFORM project is to test the produced material in different formulations from the pilot, in particular the valeric acid (VA), as well as to benchmark it against the one produced by other technologies on an industrial scale. VA and its esters are mainly used in perfumes and cosmetics as food additives, due to the fruity flavour of the esters, but also as plasticizers and pharmaceuticals.

Perstorp is at present producing VA on an industrial scale and has a long experience of different oxo processes, including a substantial experience on downstream products based, not only on valeric acid but also on other comparable acids and products. The company uses VA in esters for synthetic lubricants, as raw material for Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) production, and for making esters for aroma chemicals. In example, ProPhorce™ Valerins (glycerol esters of valeric acid) is a new breakthrough product introduced by Perstorp for feed purposes to boost animal performance.

Our company’s interest in the PERFORM project, as well as in other projects that aim to use sustainable feedstock, together with technologies that facilitate reducing the carbon footprint, is aligned with our sustainability strategy set for the coming years.

Perstorp’s ambition is to achieve finite material neutral production. We continuously develop new products and applications based on sustainable raw material and energy. Green chemicals produced via the electrochemical route create valuable assets along the development path and toward fulfilment of the ambition we have as a company. Being one of the world’s leading chemical companies focusing on sustainable coating, adhesives, feed and food, and plastic material market segments it is important for us to follow the development and contribute to that.

“To reduce the environmental impact of the chemical industry, we need to start with the source. In order not to be so reliant on fossil resources, deriving our raw materials from a sustainable source is of outmost importance.”

Interview with Pablo Gil Navarro, Project Leader at Avantium

Q: What are the main challenges of the feedstock platform analysis? How is Avantium overcoming them?

A: It is no secret that to reduce the environmental impact of the chemical industry, we need to start with the source. In order not to be so reliant on fossil resources, deriving our raw materials from a sustainable source is of outmost importance.

Avantium Dawn Technology TM uses renewable sources like forestry and agricultural residues to generate second generation (2G) sugars and other products that can link directly to the electrochemical conversion platform. We have successfully scaled this technology up to a pilot stage.

Two main sugar streams (a high purity glucose stream and a mixed sugars one) are generated through this process. Together with the partners Avantium will study the feasibility to convert these sugars to in PERFORM’s Power Platform to valuable compounds, which in this case is adipic acid.

Our novel Dawn Technology TM provides a raw material that is similar to already existing sugar streams from first generation refineries. Nevertheless, there are nuances to this such as the presence of traces and rheological behavior that differ from off-the-shelf, less-sustainable feedstock. The end-product quality is one of the challenges that Avantium is focusing on and the feedback from our partners at PERFORM will help us to ensure that key parameters such as salt content and conductivity, pH, etc. are optimized for this kind of application.

Some of the work we are performing includes monitoring oligomerization levels, impurity tracking, de-acidification steps and optimization of the purification steps in general.

Within PERFORM, our objective is to prove that a more sustainable approach to production of chemicals is not only a good idea, but also a realistic one.

Cibus Forum 2020

From 2 to 3 September 2020, Novamont attended the phygital event Cibus Forum at the Parma exhibition centre. The Cibus platform represent a moment of exchange and sharing for the agri-food community. 

During the event Perform brochure (around 50) were distributed at Novamont’s booth.

PERFORM NEWSLETTER 4 NOW AVAILABLE!

The PERFORM partners have been busy these last 6 months!

“Numerous technology screening tests have been performed on different synthetic mixtures mimicking the actual process fluids, our next steps entail continued process characterization in the lab and material selection to allow for pilot construction and demonstration of both PERFORM reaction lines. “

Interview to Wim de Schepper, Researcher in Separation and Conversion Technology – Electrochemical technologies at VITO

PERFORM in the Italian industry embraces green chemistry workshop

On October 28, RadiciGroup, responsible for Product Applications, participated in an online seminar to present the PERFORM project.

The Italian Industry embraces Green Chemistry workshop was organised by Gruppo Interdivisionale di Green Chemistry della SCI, CNR-SCITEC and Consorzio Italbiotec and the presentations addressed the new European Green Deals related to chemistry.

On behalf of the PERFORM consortium, Stefano Alini, CEO and Innovations and Research Director at RadiciGroup presented the main goals of the project to date.