The ELECTROLIFE project aims to be a booster to enable the use of green hydrogen technologies to support decarbonization of European global industry. Currently, electrolysis technologies suffer from limitations in terms of cost, efficiency, stability, scalability, and recyclability. This is mainly due to the lack of understanding and identification of electrolyzer degradation mechanisms and improvement of current cell performance. ELECTROLIFE aims to increase the efficiency performance of electrolyzers by reducing the use of critical materials and extending the useful life of these systems. These goals will be achieved through test campaigns to identify multiple degradation mechanisms on multiple scales, multiphysics simulations with superimposed degradation mechanisms, prototyping of cells and stack components, and construction of dedicated test benches. The type of testing will be harmonized through dedicated protocols, and test results will be processed and made available through dedicated online data centers. In addition, diagnostic and stack health models will be developed to reduce the degradation rate, enabling the implementation of predictive control systems. ELECTROLIFE will demonstrate the implementation of durable stacks using relevant experimental methods through the production of high-performance technologies with minimal CRM content, enabling scalability and recyclability. ELECTROLIFE is expected to reduce the average cost of ownership of the electrolyzers by 40% for AEL and PEMEL and by 70% for AEMEL and SOEL. These achievements will enable utilization of the innovations developed by ELECTROLIFE, reaching 15% of European production capacity (corresponding to about +3GW/a - IEA 2022).

Approximately 70% of European plastic waste (18.5 mt/year) is not being recycled due to technical or economic reasons and are thus sent to landfill (27%) or incinerated (42%). This situation affects negatively the environment in terms of pollution and greenhouse gases emissions, as well as social perception regarding waste management, consumer’s products industry and policy makers. iCAREPLAST addresses the cost and energy-efficient recycling of a large fraction of today’s non-recyclable plastics and composites from urban waste. Heterogeneous plastic mixtures will be converted into valuable chemicals (alkylaromatic) via chemical routes comprising sequential catalytic and separation steps. This multistage process will also yield carbon char and a pure CO2 stream as products, whilst it will present improved economic sustainability, operational flexibility and lower CO2 footprint thanks to (i) the energetic valorisation of gas by-products through innovative oxycombustion units integrated with efficient heat recovery; and (ii) the use of AI predictive control and real time optimisation. iCAREPLAST aims to demonstrate (TRL-7) the whole technology for plastic waste valorisation in a pilot plant able to process >100 kg/h of plastic. Advanced upstream waste sorting, pre-treatment and pyrolysis is strongly backed by previous demonstration activities and knowhow of the consortium, with profound knowledge of waste management and recycling market. iCAREPLAST solution will enforce circular economy by substantially increasing the amount of recycled plastics to produce commodity products that can be used for virgin-quality polymers production or as raw materials for other processes in petrochemicals, fine chemicals, automotive and detergent/surfactants industries. As a result of its initial exploitation we will treat 250,000t of plastic waste which otherwise would have become landfill, converting it into 1,500t of alkylaromatics and 1,000t of aromatics.

The main objective of GO2 project will be focused on the development and further commercialization of an innovative system able to produce high purity oxygen (>>99.5%) at high temperature (1000ºC) by means of advanced membrane modules (high temperature ion conducting ceramic membranes). KERIONICS products are able to supply oxygen with a cost reduction between 20-80% regarding the current technologies for industrial applications that requires oxygen or enriched air and to capture CO2 using the most efficient technology. GO2 project will have a major impact on European industry because the use of oxygen or enriched air improves the plant efficiency and GO2 technology can reduce CO2 emissions by means of the reduction in fuel consumption using technically efficient CO2 separation. Energy-intensive industry processes based on combustion and oxidation at high temperature can achieve an impressive 24-month payback using this technology.