The main objective of GreenCarbon (website: http://greencarbon-etn.eu/) is to develop new scientific knowledge, capability, technology, and commercial products for biomass-derived carbons; thus impacting the way that Europe uses and innovates with sustainable carbon materials. This will be accomplished through a rigorous training programme for fourteen early-stage researchers (ESRs) enhancing the European knowledge economy and closing loops on agricultural waste utilisation while creating new bridges between various sectors (i.e., agriculture-chemical and materials industries). GreenCarbon is training a new generation of scientists capable of not only scientific rigour, but also entrepreneurship allowing for itinerant deployment of themselves and their knowledge into the real world.
The objectives of the research programme are:
- Developing engineered thermochemical processes (based on pyrolysis and hydrothermal carbonisation from dry and wet biomass sources, respectively) to produce tailor-made biomass-derived carbons (BCs).
- Developing novel low-cost carbon materials from BCs through a unique set of functionalisation protocols.
- Using the resulting carbon materials in advanced applications in heterogeneous catalysis for renewable energy as well as pollutants removal.
- Analysing the feasibility of using BCs as soil enhancers and CO2 capture and sequestration agents.
(H2020-MSCA-ITN-2016-721991)
