CAPTURE AND REUSE OF BIOGENIC GASES FOR NEGATIVE-EMISSION - SUSTAINABLE BIOFUELS

The CRONUS project aims to accelerate the transition to sustainable bioenergy and play a crucial role in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) by integrating Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS) technologies into the biofuels value chain. This effort promotes the decarbonization of the EU economy in line with the European Green Deal goals. A wide range of biogenic gas CCUS technologies (enzymatic CO₂ capture, autotrophic algae cultivation, biological CO₂ hydrogenation, syngas biomethanation, in-situ biomethanation, biogenic carbon storage via biochar production and soil application) will be validated at the laboratory scale (TRL4). The proposed technologies will be scaled up to five functional prototypes operating in relevant biofuel production environments (TRL5). The project will evaluate the technical, economic, environmental, and social sustainability of its proposed solutions and services using the latest state-of-the-art tools, with a special focus on project sustainability and circularity. A roadmap to commercialize the technologies and services will be developed, including a strategy to address market segmentation, penetration barriers, and opportunities. CRONUS will raise public and scientific awareness and actively engage all relevant stakeholders in the co-design, co-development, and co-implementation of potential pathways for biogenic effluent gas capture and utilization within the biofuels value chain. The project's impactful exploitation plan will facilitate strategic planning for net-negative biofuel production supply chains, integrating CRONUS technologies and sustainability assessment results with a focus on carbon footprint, cost-efficiency, and scalability.