The European Commission funded project FUELPHORIA was launched on October 11, 2023 in Athens.

The main objective of the FUELPHORIA project is to establish sustainable value chains for renewable fuels, contributing to the objectives of the European Commission’s 2022 REPower EU Plan to scale up renewables, achieve electrification, and replace fossil-based heat and fuel in industry, buildings, and the transport sector.

A range of chemical, electrochemical, biological, thermochemical, and photobiological processes will be used to convert different feedstocks into a variety of renewable fuels. These fuels will be developed to meet quality specifications defined by end-users in the transport sector (aviation, maritime, and road) and in the power production sector (gas or oil-fired thermal plants).

Four demonstrators in Spain, Belgium, and Greece will serve as testing grounds for the nine value chains. They will address technical issues related to the conversion of feedstock into renewable fuels and prepare for market entry by designing innovative business models.

PERSEO Biotechnology S.L. leads one of the four pilots of the project. During the project, PERSEO Biotechnology S.L., in collaboration with S.A. AGRICULTORES DE LA VEGA DE VALENCIA, demonstrated and scaled up a process at their facilities in L’Alcudia (Valencia) to convert organic urban waste into bioethanol and biomethane. The CO2 stream from the fermentation process will be valorized through catalytic processes to produce bioethanol and biomethanol in collaboration with CSIC.

At the end of the project, a set of policy recommendations will be developed for EU policymakers to demonstrate how the project results can contribute to a sustainable transition of the EU energy systems.