The European commission launches a new large scale collaborative research project entitled BIOGO-For-Production that aims to achieve a step change in the application of nanocatalysis to sustainable energy production through an integrated, coherent and holistic approach utilizing novel heterogeneous nanoparticulate catalysts in fuel syntheses. A consortium of 15 partners from 7 countries will carry out this ambitious project during a 4-year research program, the results of which will have substantial strategic, economic and environmental impacts on the EU petrochemicals industry and on the increasing use of renewable feedstock for energy.

BIO-GO researches and develops advanced nanocatalysts, which are allied with

advanced reactor concepts to realize modular, highly efficient, integrated processes for
the production of fuels from renewable bio-oils and biogas. Principal objectives are to
develop new designs, preparation routes and methods of coating nanocatalysts on
innovative micro-structured reactor designs, enabling compact, integrated catalytic
reactor systems that exploit fully the special properties of nanocatalysts to improve
process efficiency through intensification. An important aim is to reduce the
dependence on precious metals and rare earths. Catalyst development is underpinned
by modelling, kinetic and in-situ studies, and is validated by extended laboratory runs
of biogas and bio-oil reforming, methanol synthesis and gasoline production to
benchmark performance against current commercial catalysts.

The 4-year project culminates in two verification steps:

(a) a 6 month continuous pilot scale catalyst production run to demonstrate scaled up
manufacturing potential for fast industrialization

(b) the integration at miniplant scale of the complete integrated process to gasoline
production starting from bio-oil and bio-gas feedstocks.

A cost evaluation will be carried out on the catalyst production while LCA will be
undertaken to analyze environmental impacts across the whole chain.

This �9m European funded project was launched in December 2013 and has a term of
48 months. The Project Coordinator is Fraunhofer ICT-IMM (GERMANY). Visit the new
BIOGO website for information on all partners:
http://www.biogo.eu/biogo_projectpartner.html