The Oracle will develop scalable alternative reaction technologies for decentralised production of ammonia as a renewable fuel from N2 and H2O. Three strands for ammonia synthesis will be developed and validated at TRL3: electro-catalytic, plasma-aided electrocatalytic as well as electrified thermal catalysis process that will serve as a benchmark. The ORACLE proposes to test overlooked electrocatalysts for electrochemical synthesis of NH3 from N2 and H2O. To increase the selectivity ORACLE proposes to develop plasma-aided electrochemical cells and test exciting new concepts of NOx and H2 recombination to NH3 in an electrochemical cell. Here NOx and H2 are sourced from plasma-assisted electrolysis of N2 and H2O. The ORACLE system processes will integrate catalysts and reactor technology to create adaptable user-centered system for localized on-site ammonia production. The processes have the potential to decisively transform existing large-scale ammonia based production towards a non-fossil-based economy. At the core of ORACLES’s systems are tuned (electro)catalyst design and their 3D controlled deposition for, on the one hand magnetic nanoparticle-bearing catalyst compositions for the thermocatalytic process and, on the other hand, NRR reduction, OER and HOR catalysts for the (plasma-assisted) electro-catalytic process. The electrified thermal catalysis will use local heat delivery through magnetic particles-mediated AC-fields to push the catalytic process beyond the reactor heat transfer limits. The ORACLE project partners have accumulated a wealth of experience in e-fuels within a number of projects. In addition, the ORACLE project will benefit from the European longstanding collaboration with two Japanese research centres, AIST and ORIST. To reach this ambitious goal, ORACLE will draw on the complimentary expertise of its industrial ammonia producer CASALE and innovative catalyst manufacturer C2CAT, who cover two opposite ends of commercially-driven value chain.

Safe- and green-by-design are pre-market design approaches whereby the objectives of minimizing the use of hazardous chemicals, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and fostering the reuse and recycling of materials in a circular economy are built into product design. SUSPHARMA fits the European need for sustainable development in modern industry and will develop during the action greener routes to prepare molecules, such as therapeutics and diagnostics. The breakthrough innovation will involve: - use of renewable (bio-based) carbon for the building block of scaffolds and motifs for drug synthesis; - cleaner synthetic methodologies for C-X bond formation (that is, C-H functionalization to obtain C-C, C-F, and C-I bond formation); - development of new benchtop continuous purification methods, to remove impurity and recycle synthetic solvents; - integration of digitalization methods. - LCA and TEA assessment for sensibly reducing the impact of pharmaceutical production. The project will thus benefit from an interdisciplinary domain, involving: - recent advances in biomass conversion for drug synthesis; - new developments in heterogeneous catalysis; - cutting-edge flow chemistry technologies (including synthesis and purification); - automation and machine learning. To address the challenge of green and digital transition and proper supply of health technologies and products, SUSPHARMA will focus on research and innovation activities that aim at integrating five breakthrough concepts: CAT-to-PHARMA, WASTE-to-PHARMA, FLOW-to-PHARMA, PUR-to-PHARMA, and DIGITAL to PHARMA. This will deliver results that are directed to pharmaceutical industries, researchers, and innovators, prompting them to develop and produce greener pharmaceuticals that are either greener by design, intrinsically less harmful for the environment, or use greener and economically more sustainable manufacturing processes and technologies.

Foundation industries (cement, steel, glass, ammonia etc) are classified as hard-to-abate sectors due to the inherent high-temperature processes. Decarbonization of industry is technically possible through a combination of technical solutions, the optimum mix of which will vary widely between sectors and regions. Deep decarbonization technologies such as application of alternative carbon neutral fuels and carbon capture are essential to achieve the target of net zero by 2050 in the EU. The project aims to evaluate, develop and demonstrate the advanced and emerging technologies for sustainable energy transition and industrial deep decarbonization. Firstly, the project attempts to remove the barrier associated with high operational and infrastructure costs incurred by the traditional carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology applying aqueous scrubbing. The project also evaluates and justifies the potential of a negative CO2 emission solution by combining CCUS with biomass derived carbon neutral fuels (BECCS). In addition, the project aims to conduct a comprehensive feasibility study on the application of ammonia in selected industrial processes as an alternative carbon neutral fuel to replace fossil fuels. The project attempts to apply a wide range of research methods at different scales from microscopic material design to laboratory scale testing and pilot scale trials, and finally to industrial scale deployments supported by the industrial partners. Multi-scale modellings such as reaction kinetics modelling, CFD modelling and process modelling will be performed for system optimization. Techno-Economic Analysis and Life Cycle Assessment on carbon footprint of the full supply chain will be conducted for all three above-mentioned decarbonization pathways. Additionally, Artificial Intelligence (AI) driven approach will be used to predict the dynamic CO2 emissions from industrial sites under scenarios using different combinations of renewable fuels with CCUS.

AELECTRA will develop a groundbreaking system for energy-efficient long-term electrical energy storage in ammonia. The high risk/high gain concept has the potential to outperform conventional thermochemical Haber-Bosch Reactor (HBR) in CAPEX, at similar OPEX. It is suitable for decentralised on-site use, filling a gap in the market for production scales < 1000 kg/h NH3 (1 kW - 10 MW). The heart of the AELECTRA proposal is to deliver a turnkey system that will demonstrate NH3 synthesis and separation at lab scale. The state of the art will be advanced by identification of optimal reactor conditions, developing reactor & system components and AC/DC power supply. The AELECTRA system is suitable for decentralized use and can store the energy there where it is produced, and thus it can address both spatial and temporal variations in renewable energy production. It can disrupt the chemical industry by delivering the same product as Haber-Bosch Process, however at lower capital costs in large part by eliminating the need for expensive heat exchangers and compressors. The AELECTRA system will be relevant for multiple industry sectors, including power production, food, pharma, shipping as well as fertilizer production. To reach these ambitious goals AELECTRA will draw on the complimentary expertise of three research teams (AU, VITO and SINTEF); catalyst manufacturer C2CAT; power to X and X to power industry player ELTRONIC Fueltech; ANORI, a company investing in renewable energy projects in the northern part of the globe (Greenland); and ADISSEO, a French company that produces methionine using ammonia as feedstock.

The alarming increase in the amount of green-house gases in the atmosphere and its severe climate consequences is a fact that will put life on Earth to serious risks if no quick action is taken on a global scale. C2CAT expertise in catalysis for H2 production, storage and recycling of CO2 will come into play. Contribution to the H2 economy and CO2 reduction will be achieved at C2CAT via design, development and commercialisation of cost-effective alternative catalysts suitable for sustainable processes.