UNCOVER was created with the objective of replacing fossil feedstocks in industry through innovative CO2 conversion technologies
The Institute of Sustainable Processes at the University of Valladolid reaffirms its commitment to combating climate change and environmental degradation within the framework of the new European project UNCOVER (UNlocking the industrial COnVERsion of CO2 into renewable, long-lasting and hybrid products). Funded by the Horizon Europe programme, UNCOVER aims to demonstrate the technical, economic and environmental viability of turning captured CO₂ industrial emissions into useful products.
Over a period of four years, UNCOVER will seek to validate the scalability and sustainability of six cutting-edge CO2 conversion technologies, one of which is complemented by a secondary technology that converts its output into a further product, resulting in seven demonstrated carbon capture and utilization (CCU) routes. The technologies will be applied directly to real industrial CO2 emissions from the biogas upgrading process at a waste management plant, the biomass boiler at a wood manufacturing plant and the clinker kiln at a cement plant.
The ultimate goal of the project is to convert this contaminating gas into low carbon products, including pigments, microalgal biomass, biodegradable bioplastics, microbial protein, biomethanol, bioformaldehyde and carbonated cementitious material, validated for applications across the chemical, fuel and construction sectors, such as food casings, films, adhesives, maritime fuel and cement formulations.
The project is coordinated by the Instituto Tecnológico de Aragón (ITA), with ISP-UVa acting as technical coordinator. ISP-UVa leads Work Package 2, setting out the technical and logistical needs at the demonstration sites and the modelling foundations for further technology scale-up. It also plays a key role in the demonstration of two autotrophic CO2 bioconversion technologies that produce biobased plastics and microbial protein. At ISP-UVa, the project is led by Dr. Raúl Muñoz and Dr. Raquel Lebrero, both members of the institute’s Enviroeng Research Unit (ENVIROENG Unit).
The consortium brings together 19 partners from eight European countries, with expertise covering the full range of the seven innovative CO2 valorisation value chains. This includes CO₂ supply and industrial demonstration sites (Holcim Polska, Urbaser, Sonae Arauco); technology development, downstream processing and final product validation (Holcim Innovation Center, Allmicroalgae Natural Products, ISP-UVa, GreenCoLab, Energo, Ercros, Syspro Automation, Biotrend, Chimar, Viscofan); modelling and simulation (ITA, University of Zaragoza); techno-economic and life-cycle assessment (Silesian University of Technology, Imperial College); exploitation strategy (Steinbeis Innovation gGmbH) and policy intelligence, communication and dissemination (CO2 Value Europe).
UNCOVER is part of a wider push to scale up CO2 conversion technologies across Europe, an effort that could cut the EU’s dependence on imported energy, currently around 60%, by up to 10 percentage points by 2050, thus strengthening Europe’s energy security.
