RESEARCH PROJECTS
The Innovators Behind the Science

This project addresses slow water oxidation and poor light use by harnessing the full solar spectrum instead of only UV–visible light. It combines water splitting with biomass-derived oxidation to bypass inefficient water oxidation, integrates UV–visible photocatalysis with infrared-driven thermal catalysis, and uses a flow double-tube reactor rather than batch systems. Together, these advances aim to produce green hydrogen from water and biomass with high efficiency, supporting innovative and sustainable hydrogen production for the EU economy.

A-LEAF starts from atomic-scale studies to determine experimentally and theoretically the main parameters for optimisation of the chemical transformations at surfaces to combine water and carbon dioxide into oxygen and energy-rich chemicals. This knowledge will be transferred and up-scaled into photoelectrochemical set-ups to maximise performance. The champion components will be combined into a single photoelectrocatalytic device: an artificial leaf. This multidisciplinary and comprehensive project will be executed by young and renowned European researchers from 13 recognised institutions located in 8 European countries.

The BioPhoto project, financed by Next Generation funds from the European Union and the Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving, will investigate the production, storage and purification of green hydrogen from organic waste by means of biological processes and photocatalysis. The solution proposed by this project will be applied in those sectors that generate liquid or solid waste with a high organic load, and could be used as an alternative fuel for public transport, among other uses.

The EU-funded CATCH project plans to leverage the potential of unique 2D semiconductors in photocatalysis to speed up reactions. The project will employ an advanced method of activating 2D semiconductors by investigating material properties at the fundamental level. The project's activities are expected to break down the barriers that impede practical photocatalysis, especially for water purification and hydrogen production applications.

The EU-funded DESIRED project plans to develop a novel fuel production system powered by sunlight that will process carbon dioxide and water in parallel to produce multi-carbon, energy-rich products. The planned system will be a novel flow reactor utilising recyclable hybrid electrocatalysts to produce methanol and hydrocarbon solar fuels, also usable as precursors of sustainable aviation fuels. DESIRED targets sectors where a direct shift to the use of batteries or hydrogen is not yet viable.

The EU-funded FreeHydroCells project aims to develop a new photoelectrochemical system that can efficiently convert solar to chemical energy. The planned system will mimic the solar-energy absorption potential of a leaf by arraying cascades of nanometre-thick semiconducting materials as buried interfaces known as p-n junctions. When submerged in water and exposed to sunlight, the junctions will split water photoelectrochemically. The produced hydrogen will store the solar energy in a chemical form. FreeHydroCells will leverage advances in areas like thin-film engineering to increase the solar-to-chemical energy conversion.

LIHYP brings hydrogen demand-supply and stakeholders together and raises potential for future aligned collaboration. The project initiates opportunities to accelerate market introduction of hydrogen applications, leading to regional hydrogen value chains connected in the North Sea Region

The EU-funded MOF2H2 project positions itself as a game changer. Its main objective is to reach a world-record efficiency for sun-driven clean hydrogen production of 5 % solar-to-hydrogen efficiency, using metal-organic frameworks as photocatalysts. To this end, the project will synthesise and optimise several generations of metal-organic frameworks and related composites. Its final goal is to optimise and upscale the best materials and prototypes under sustainable and economically viable conditions.

The EU-funded NEFERTITI project will develop an innovative, highly efficient photocatalytic system that will simultaneously convert carbon dioxide and H2O into solar fuels (ethanol). The system will provide an advanced alternative to transform CO2 into valuable products for energy and transport. The project will integrate innovative heterogeneous catalysts and luminescent solar concentrators into two photocatalytic flow reactors powered by solar energy.

The Photo2Fuel project will develop a breakthrough technology that converts carbon dioxide into useful fuels and chemicals by means of non-photosynthetic microorganisms and organic materials, using only sunlight as an energy source. Photo2Fuel's technology is based on the artificial photosynthesis concept and will use a hybrid system of non-photosynthetic microorganisms and organic photosensitisers to produce acetic acid and methane, using Moorella thermoacetica (bacteria) and Methanosarcina barkeri (archaea) strains, respectively.

The EU-funded PHOTOSINT project aims to produce hydrogen and methanol sustainably using only sunlight, wastewater and carbon dioxide. The process relies on solar-driven artificial photosynthesis, incorporating new catalytic materials developed to enhance efficiency. PHOTOSINT aims to maximise energy efficiency by concentrating and illuminating the semiconductor surface to improve conversion rates for industrial use. It also seeks to integrate perovskite solar photovoltaic cells to supply external electrical voltage. PHOTOSINT will assess the feasibility of scaling up renewable energy technologies, utilising methanol and hydrogen in engines, employing a high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell for electricity generation, and using hydrogen as an alternative fuel in melting furnaces, to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

The EU-funded RISEnergy project will develop innovative energy technologies by fostering a European ecosystem of industry, research organisations, and funding agencies. The project aims to increase energy efficiency, reduce energy technology costs, and promote the use of renewables. RISEnergy will facilitate efficient transnational access to facilities supporting renewable energy technologies and systems, offering guidance to research infrastructure providers, users, and policymakers on issues such as Life Cycle Assessment, Information and Communication Technology development, and networking.

The EU-funded SOMMER project will seek to develop a carbon-neutral pathway for syngas production by integrating solar energy into a catalytic membrane reactor to split water and carbon dioxide. This innovative approach will eliminate the need for fossil-based energy in syngas production and use carbon dioxide instead of natural gas as feedstock. The proposed technology will combine a single-step carbon dioxide and water thermochemical conversion process with highly selective catalysts, a dual-phase composite membrane and a concentrated solar thermal plant.

The EU-funded SPECTRUM project aims to develop and validate a groundbreaking solar concentrating collector that fully harnesses the solar spectrum. This collector will convert solar radiation into solar heat, green hydrogen, and solar electricity while also providing industrial wastewater treatment. Additionally, the project aims to develop cost-effective, sustainable components, processes, and solutions that maximise local energy generation and wastewater treatment

SUNER-C project, entitled “SUNERGY Community and eco-system for accelerating the development of solar fuels and chemicals”, aims to develop and expand the innovation ecosystem for renewable fuels and base chemicals, uniting science, business, societal and other relevant stakeholders. This aggregation aims at developing a common vision and a technological roadmap for accelerating the scale-up of technologies, as key elements towards the EU 2050 target of net-zero emissions. 30 different EU partners gathered together to work on building an ecosystem of companies, researchers, societal actors and policymakers, to accelerate the transition of technologies for the generation of solar fuels and chemicals, from the laboratory to large-scale industrial applications.

The EU-funded THEIA project suggests a new class of photocatalysts that emerges from the combination of catalysis, materials science and engineering. The proposal studies the properties of porous boron nitride to imbue it with key properties for carbon dioxide reduction via photocatalysis.

The EU-funded TRINEFLEX project aims to implement an integrated energy intensive industries transformation toolkit in five unique demonstration sites. The toolkit will function as an end-to-end service, managing the plant’s digital life cycle and facilitating the transition to flexible and sustainable operation, following the `X-as-a-service model´. This process will rely on advanced and green data acquisition, Big Data infrastructures, process analysis, model development, and digital twins with integrated multi-agent decision support systems. The project will integrate transformative technologies (from energy efficiency, clean energy, sustainable fuels and feedstocks, and carbon capture, usage and storage sectors) in synergy with advanced digital solutions to demonstrate flexibility measures towards energy neutrality.