The Fuels-C project is developing next-generation biofuels from organic waste and CO₂, with the aim of reducing dependence on fossil fuels and strengthening Europe’s energy security by 2050.
Europe’s energy transition requires disruptive solutions to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and move decisively towards climate neutrality by 2050. Within this framework, the Fuels-C project, funded under the Horizon Europe program, is developing an integrated platform of innovative technologies to convert organic residues and biogenic CO₂ into highly efficient advanced biofuels that can be used directly in transport.
Tackling the challenge of decarbonizing transportation
Transport sectors such as shipping and heavy road transport remain heavily dependent on fossil fuels. Advanced biofuels offer a reliable means to reduce emissions and strengthen Europe’s energy security. However, technical and economic challenges still need to be addressed for scalable, competitive, and sustainable biofuel production to become a reality.
Fuels-C aims to address this challenge by producing four advanced biofuels (biomethane, ammonia, ethanol, and formic acid) from low-cost organic waste and CO₂ streams. The project will establish an efficient conversion route that utilizes renewable energy to make the most of organic carbon, providing a truly sustainable fuel that can be used in fuel cells for transportation applications, including both sea and road.
Innovation consists of five pillars
The project consists of five main pillars, combining scientific excellence and industrial relevance.
Pillar 1 – Raw materials and inputs: Creation of a GIS-based mapping tool to assess the availability of biogenic residues, renewable energy potential and logistics for efficient deployment across Europe. Pillar II – Fuels for road transport: Development of innovative thermochemical, electrochemical and bioelectrochemical conversion routes to produce ethanol and formic acid from complex waste streams and CO₂. Pillar III – Maritime Transportation Fuels: Advances in the production of biomethane and ammonia using a combination of anaerobic digestion and various bioelectrochemical techniques as a conversion route to achieve higher efficiency and reduced energy consumption. Pillar IV – Fuel Cell Validation: Directly test all four biofuels in solid oxide and direct liquid fuel cells to measure power density, energy efficiency, and operational stability. Pillar 5 – Digitalization and Sustainability: Creation of advanced models of each fuel’s production technology and digital twins of the integrated conversion process, enabling techno-economic and environmental assessments and supporting replication across multiple European regions.
Expected results and impact
Through this integrated approach, Fuels-C delivers:
Increase the efficiency of biofuel conversion technologies and move new solutions to TRL 5 validation. Develop repeatable and scalable solutions that connect local raw materials with regional fuel needs. Provides robust techno-economic and lifecycle assessments to accelerate market readiness and deployment. Demonstrates significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional engines.
In the long term, Fuels-C will strengthen Europe’s leadership in biofuels innovation, reduce dependence on fossil imports and open up new market opportunities for Europe’s energy and transport industries.
A strong European consortium
Fuels-C brings together 11 partners from seven European countries, combining the expertise of research institutes, universities, innovative SMEs and industry players. The consortium, coordinated by the Leitat Technological Center (Spain), is amassing cutting-edge knowledge on thermochemical, electrochemical and bioelectrochemical processes, along with advanced modeling, sustainability assessments and exploitation strategies.
With multidisciplinary collaboration and an ambitious vision, Fuels-C positions itself as a key initiative to accelerate Europe’s energy transition, introducing advanced biofuels as a competitive and sustainable solution for the future of transport.
This article will also be published in the quarterly magazine issue 24.
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