Edition no. 15, 2018
Welcome to the  SPIRE Newsletter

Bringing you news, insights and success stories from within and about our  Public-Private Partnership  and the European Process Industry.

In this issue

SPIREProjects2017 SPIRE Projects

CIRC 1 - Systemic, eco-innovative approaches for the circular economy: 
CIRC-PACK, Ecobulk, FiberEUse,  PlastiCircle,  PolyCE and  ZERO-BRINE 

SPIRE 7 - Process optimisation:
ENSUREAL,  SUPREME and MORSE

SPIRE 8 - CO2 utilisation:
ICO2CHEM,  RECODE and  Carbon4PUR 

SPIRE 9 - Down-scaled high performance processing
DEMETO, NOVUM,   ECCO and  PORTABLECRAC

SPIRE 10 - New electrochemical solutions
CO2EXIDE, OCEAN and SIDERWIN

SPIRE 11 - Enhancement of the Spire impact
SPRING

SPIRE 12 - Standardisation
HARMONI

SPIRE 13 - Industrial Symbiosis
SCALER

EE-17 - Valorisation of waste heat
ET EKINA

WhatsNew SPIRE Projects: What's New?
REE4EU: The Project Goes On!
The REE4EU project is now in its third year of development, many steps have been taken and every detail will be available in the upcoming sixth newsletter.

The coordinator, SINTEF, demonstrated the extraction of rare earth alloys (REA) by high temperature electrolysis method at a large-laboratory scale during continuous operation. The industrial partner ELKEM is almost finalising the pilot REE4EU of integrated High Temperature Electrolysis (HTE) and Ion Liquid Extraction (ILE) within dedicated facilities for REA production from permanent magnets (PM).  Matching these latest developments from ELKEM, IDENER is improving and updating its conceptual modelling and Less Common Metals have reached the successful production of REA from PM in process waste (swarf) using HTE.

In the meanwhile,  the REE4EU's Market Analysis Report is available on the project's website: PNO with the key partners of the REE4EU project  carried out an extensive market study on economically viable RE recovery potential with interviews with relevant stakeholders to shed light on the feasibility and current bottlenecks preventing the REE4EU implementation.
 
Follow INNOVATION PLACE page on LinkedIn and Twitter.
  
BAMB: Stakeholder Network Meeting
Nearly 200 Stakeholders of the BAMB, Building As Material Banks, project gathered in Brussels at the end of January for a Stakeholder Network Meeting, to take part in the evolvement of the project and share findings and results. The stakeholders learned about: Materials Passports, Reversible Building Design, new business models, policy propositions and management and decision-making methods. The 6 different pilots were present with their results as an exhibition around the venue and in the centre of it all the REM (Reversible Experience Module) was shown for the very first time.

The next possibility to experience the REM in person is at ecobuild in London, March 6-8. Take the opportunity to see it for yourself where you will find BAMB as one of the ecobuild sustainability showcases in the conference arena. Hope to see you there. BAMB, is an EU Horizon 2020 project enabling the shift to a circular building sector.
 
Further info...
NOVUM NEWS: Project Kick-off
As part of the SPIRE public-private partnership and the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme of the European Union, a four-year project has been launched, funded under: sustainable, resource- efficient, and low-carbon technologies in energy- intensive process industries. The objective for the 10 consortium members is a pilot line based on novel manufacturing technologies for cellulose-based electrical insulation components.

The consortium has set out to achieve both significant efficiency improvement and higher productivity and flexibility, while ensuring lower capital and operation costs as compared to the current state-of-the-art manufacturing process.
 
NOVUM aims to develop a ground-breaking manufacturing concept for electrical insulation components and thus build a basis for a radical renewal of the manufacturing industry. This can revolutionise the way in which power transformers are designed and produced, and lead to the transition from the current manual production to automated production lines with increased resource and energy efficiency.
 
Further info... 

MOBILE FLIP Project

The results of the Mobile and Flexible industrial Processing of Biomass -project (MOBILE FLIP) will be disseminated as part of the WasteEng ─7th International Conference on Engineering for Waste and Biomass Valorisation, 2─5 July, 2018. The afternoon session " Mobile and Flexible Biomass Processing" on 3 July  will be dedicated to the results of MOBILE FLIP in the form of 13 oral presentations, four oral presentations + flash and two poster presentations.
 
RESYNTEX Hosts Citizen Labs in France, Register Now for Upcoming Workshop
RESYNTEX has hosted a series of 'Citizen Labs' in Annecy, France , to investigate the end-of-life routes for clothes and textiles, as well as the general public's motivation for choosing specific disposal options. The project will also host a Value Chain Workshop in March for industry stakeholders.
 
In a workshop designed and facilitated by Prospex Institute last month, students and residents of the city came together to discuss and share their views on consumption and disposal of textiles. They also looked at how access to information on responsible reuse and donation schemes could be improved. Through these Citizen Labs, the project gains a better understanding of how it can involve and mobilise consumers in building a circular economy. 

A Value Chain Workshop will be hosted in Lyon on 22-23 March to address the recycling of synthetic fibres (polyamide and polyester). To register and request more details, please e-mail Valerie Boiten .
 



FUDIPO: Machine Learning Course
As part of FUDIPO project , an online PhD course about Machine Learning and Process Analytics was organised by project consortium members,  from 5th October to 11th December 2017. The  lecturers and topics are listed in FUDIPO website, and now the presentations are available for those who are interested a nd could not attend. FUDIPO consortium hopes you find this material useful and gives you deeper knowledge in this thrilling field! 
Introducing the EPOS Technology Focus!
  In its continued effort to provide important information on industrial symbiosis and the varying ways in which it could be accomplished, the EPOS project has begun a new publication series:

The EPOS Technology Focus. As one of the goals of the EPOS project is to provide process industries with replicable, rapidly deployable solutions for both industrial sector and cross-sector integration, each issue will feature different technological, engineering, service or management solutions. The technologies presented serve as information for establishing both on-site and cross-sectorial industrial symbiosis in addition to enhancing sustainability, performance and resource efficiency.

 

Two REslag European Project Pilots Are Already Operational
REslag is a project that seeks to solve a very important problem. The European steel industry generated about 21.4 million tons of slag in 2012 resulting from steel making. About 24% is not being reused, representing a severe environmental problem in Europe.

REslag  works in 4 novel valorization applications of the slag:
  • Pilot 1: As feedstock to extract of high added value metals.
  • Pilot 2: As Thermal Energy Storage system feedstock for heat recovery applications.
  • Pilots 3a and 3b: As Thermal Energy Storage system feedstock for Concentrated Solar Power.
  • Pilot 4: As feedstock for refractory ceramics industry.
After two years and a half of project:
  • Optimum Cement and IK4-Azterlan have already produced two types of pebbles with enhanced mechanical and thermal properties.
  • Two of the pilots are already operative and releasing data about their true potential: VTT and Renotech Oy are working in the optimization of the different process parameters for Pilot 4; CEA has already started the preliminary experimental campaigns in the Pilot 1.
Find more information in our leaflet.
MONSOON: Model Based Predictive Controls for Plant and Site Wide Optimization of Production Processes
After the successful set up of the data collection infrastructure in the first 6 months, the project followed an iterative, data-driven approach, devised to exploit the experimental data flowing from real production environment.

A Communication Framework enables the data collection ensuring interoperability and dependability, also simplifying the access to heterogeneous process industry systems. The collected data flow to the so-called MONSOON Data Lab that sets a distributed, scalable run-time infrastructure for data analytics methods.

In this period, MONSOON obtained first achievements concerning the adoption of trend analysis techniques, as well as machine and deep learning algorithms to predict abnormal
behaviours and further enable process optimization in the use cases identified for aluminium and plastic domains.

Finally, MONSOON proposed first solutions enabling easier deployment and execution in the real plant environment of specific predictive functions developed using the MONSOON Data Lab.
Kick-off meeting of the H2020 project CO2-based Electrosynthesis of ethylene oXIDE  (CO2EXIDE)
 
On 18th/19th  January, the kick-off meeting of the CO2EXIDE project "CO2-based electrosynthesis of ethylene oxide", coordinated by Fraunhofer IGB, Straubing branch BioCat, was held in B russels to give the initial starting point for partners to work. "Every partner, from academia to industry, knows about the significance and impact of the CO2EXIDE project on the further development of future chemical factories", Dr. Tobias Gärtner introduced to the audience. In the course of the meeting, the workplan and project internal cooperations have been discussed intensively - partners from different areas of science had the chance to get in touch with each other.
 
The Toolkit and the User Guide for Getting Started with Industrial Symbiosis (IS) Have Been Released by MAESTRI
The Toolkit for Industrial Symbiosis (T4IS) is a set of tools and methods proposed to support companies developing IS applications. The different tools constitute a self-guided process that companies can use for identifying potentially exploitable wastes and value creation strategies. The toolkit builds on 4 guiding questions, which represents key 4 steps into generating an industrial symbiosis opportunity:

- How to see waste concerns itself with how to be aware, recognise and discover wasted resources within the manufacturing process and facilities;
- How to characterise waste relates to how to describe the character and properties of those identified wasted resources;
- How to value waste concerns how to determine the estimated or assigned worth for the wasted materials;
- How to exploit waste relates to how to utilise and make the best use of the wasted materials.

The toolkit is available here.

The User Guide is a brief high-level summary for practitioners, helpful for managers in manufacturing and process industry that: (1) are interested to learn about the IS concept in order to get a first insight on what it means and what benefits could bring to their company; (2) are planning to start an IS project by using the T4IS. In the latter case, the User Guide can serve as a reference document to engage internal stakeholders in the IS project and to communicate the T4IS overview and steps to those involved in the project development and implementation.

The Kick-off Meeting of the New Project ICO2CHEM
The new project ICO2CHEM got started. The project is now part of the SPIRE projects portfolio. SPIRE is the European Public-Private Partnership dedicated to innovation in resource and energy efficiency enabled by the process industries.
 
The kick-off meeting took place on the December 1st, 2017 in Frankfurt at the Industriepark Höchst, in which the Fischer-Tropsch pilot plant will be installed.

The overall aim of the ICO2CHEM project is to develop a new production concept for converting waste CO2 to
value-added chemicals. The focus is on the production of white oils and high molecular weight aliphatic waxes. The technological core of the project consists in the combination of a Reverse Water Gas Shift (RWGS) reactor coupled with an innovative modular Fischer-Tropsch (FT) reactor, which will utilize a novel catalyst with improved selectivity and lifetime.
 
The project is conducted by the joint effort of 6 EU partners: VTT from Finland, Altana, Ineratec, Infraserv, Provadis Hochschule from Germany and Politecnico di Torino from Italy. 
 
Further info...
RECOBA: Fostering European Process Industries
RECOBA - REal-time sensing, advanced  COntrol and optimization of  BAtch process saving energy and raw materials - a project aiming to improve product quality and enhance  efficiency and flexibility of batch processes using state of  the art solutions comes to its close.
Outcomes of the INSPIRE Business Model Innovation Workshop
The INSPIRE consortium has revealed the outcomes of the Business Model Innovation Workshop that was organized together with the A.SPIRE organization in Brussels on November 23rd of 2017.

The goal of this workshop was to redesign the value chain and discuss the required technologies and related flexibilities in four parallel sessions. The business model innovation exercise in each parallel session was designed for a particular business case (real life problem) focusing on a business model archetype.
 
For detailed descriptions of each session and the related discussions are available at the INSPIRE website.  
SteamBio Project
The SteamBio consortium is pleased to announce that the 150kg/hour SteamBio  demonstration unit has been successfully commissioned in Germany and is now located in the mountains of Northern Spain where it will soon be processing tonnage quantities of forestry residues, vineyard and olive prunings.
 
 
The SteamBio process uses superheated steam at atmospheric pressures; moisture evaporated from input biomass creates steam which is superheated, surplus moisture being removed as condensate. The ligno-cellulose components break down into chemicals according to processing temperatures employed, these are then removed and recovered in the condensate. The remaining torrefied solid biomass is stable, hydrophobic with higher energy density.
 
We are now inviting interested parties to either visit the demonstration site in Duruelo de Sierra (Soria) or receive samples of process outputs to assess. The demonstration facility will be operating until at least July this year.
PRODIAS Made Innovation a Reality
  During the past 36 months, PRODIAS looked at more than 25 methods and technologies and further developed selected ones to enable and optimize their application in the area of industrial biotechnology and developed respective machinery and apparatuses. Starting in 2015, PRODIAS so far developed 4 technologies to a technical readiness level allowing their direct application within biotech processes. 

Moreover, 6 methods and technologies were developed to a status enabling their use as standards in R&D. The Project will lead to a substantially improved performance in fermentation and downstream processing by a significant increase in productivity and efficiency, lower energy consumptions and a decrease of investment costs. Resource and energy efficiency has a tremendous environmental impact by the reduction of GHG emissions, water usage and raw material.
 
Further info...

KARMA: Second Newsletter Published

The KARMA project is ongoing and many results have been achieved: new biodegradable polymeric materials with high concentration of chicken feather have been obtained. These are  100% fully biodegradable biocomposites  representing an alternative to wood-plastic composites.
 
The project aims to the industrial manufacture and exploitation of sustainable raw materials from feather waste to develop innovative green products for high impact cross-sectorial markets. The release of the 2nd project newsletter matches with the first year of life of the project and it describes in detail the partners' results. Enjoy reading the full text of the newsletter, available at the following link.
 
Further info...
MORSE Project
The Morse project (Model-based optimisation for efficient use of resources and energy) started on 1st October 2017, with the aim of improving the steel industry with new models for energy and raw material efficiency, raising in this way the competitiveness and quality of products.
 
It brings together software houses, researchers developing models and steel factories for developing software tools that will be used to reform, accelerate and manage heavy production processes. The project partners are: VTT, SSAB, IDENER, OUTOKUMPU, MFL, BFI, SWD, CYBERNETICA, and GRIPS. 
 
MORSE project kick-off-meeting was held on 19th October 2017 in Brussels, with the participation of the representatives of all consortium and the project officer, who aligned the project concept with the aims of European Commission. 

Further info...

SIDERWIN Project

SIDERWIN - Development of new methodologieS for InDustrial CO2-freE steel pRoduction by electrowinning.  This Horizon 2020 project funded through SPIRE under the topic "SPIRE-10-2017 - New electrochemical solutions for industrial processing, which contribute to a reduction of carbon dioxide emissions ", proposes a breakthrough innovation to address CO2 mitigation in steel production, bringing together steel making with electrochemical process.

Over the next 5 years, which started in October 2017, 12 partners from 7 countries will join their efforts to develop an innovative electrochemical process to transform iron oxide into steel metal plates. This process, based on the ULCOWIN technology developed since 2004, produces steel by electrolysis without direct CO2 emissions.
The new technology will contribute to the achievement of the strategic goals defined by the European Commission for Europe 2020.

News on the project can also be followed through Twitter and the project website.
 
Further info...
VideosVideos
ROMEO: Reactor Optimisation by Membrane Enhanced Operation
Have a look and learn about a new reactor concept, which drastically reduce energy consumption ! ROMEO gathers 9 european partners working towards a common and ambitious goal: to develop a new reactor concept using homogeneous catalysis and membrane technology to carry out chemical synthesis and downstream processing in a single step. ROMEO's reactor will improve efficiency and long-term sustainability for the process industry, reducing energy consumption by up to 80% and emissions by up to 90% in industrial catalytic gas-phase reactions.  

 
Rehap Project Can Slash Emissions from Construction Industry
The construction industry can drastically reduce its carbon dioxide emissions and use of fossil fuels, if the objectives of the ambitious Rehap project are realised. The EU funded consortium is developing new ways to use waste from forestry and agriculture to create more sustainable processes for creating construction materials.  


InternationalConference2International Conference and Exhibition on Water Management in Industry


Industrial Water is the platform for all experts in industrial water management: from applied research, technology development, application - solution providers and industrial water users. #IndustrialWater is hosted by DECHEMA the hub of an interdisciplinary network for industrial water management, with support of IWA and their Specialist Group on Pretreatment of Industrial Wastewaters.
 
 

The conference and exhibition addresses all relevant topics along the industrial water value chains: from raw water to waste water treatment; from sensoring to digitization in industrial water management and from alternative water resources to zero liquid discharge and integrated management.

Your opportunities to participate are manifold:
   
newmembersWelcome to our New  A.SPIRE  Members
The following organisations have recently joined A.SPIRE:  
We warmly welcome them and hope that their contribution will make our PPP even stronger.  

  • Water Market Europe 2018: Market & Investment for Innovative Digital Solutions, 21 March 2018, Brussels, Belgium. More info... 
  • Value Chain Workshop: Addressing the Recycling of Synthetic Fibres (Polyamide and Polyester), 22-23 March 2018, Lyon, France. More info...
  • ACHEMA 2018, 12-16 June, Frankfurt, Germany. More info...
  • WasteEng: 7th International Conference on Engineering for Waste and Biomass Valorisation, July 2─5 July 2018, Prague, Czech Republic. More info... 

 

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