The recovery of metabolites from microalgae (proteins, lipids, polysaccharides) is currently promising, using cell disruption to release them and membrane filtration for fractionation. However, most released biomolecules reassemble into aggregates, limiting the separation efficiency. This project ambition is to tackle that by developing an intensified process based on the coupling of enzymatic reaction with membrane filtration for the efficient recovery of biomolecules. The main concept is that by introducing enzymes after cell disruption, some biomolecules could be modified to limit their aggregation or the aggregates could be dissociated, and the filtration would allow to truly separate the molecules. To realize this concept, the degradation reaction has to be mastered and means to avoid enzymes mixing with the products are needed. Membrane functionalization with selected enzymes allowing the coupling of controlled reactions and an efficient fractionation is promising and original in the context of microalgae biorefining. To develop a successful process, the partners will have to address several challenges: 1) the selection of the enzymes and reaction conditions to dissociate aggregates and release target molecules, 2) the enzymes immobilization on an appropriate membrane, able to maintain the catalyser activity, 3) the characterization of the membrane before and after modification to evaluate the enzyme availability and the filtration properties, 4) the development of a membrane reactor to combine reaction and separation taking into account kinetics, and 5) the process modelling coupling heterogeneous reaction and separation engineering to allow a future upscaling. To carry out this project, it is necessary to bring together the expertise on chemical engineering applied to microalgae biorefining from GEPEA, membrane engineering and functionalization from IOM and membrane characterization by electron microscopy and complementary techniques from IMN and IOM.

For the future of space exploration and space logistics, and to reduce costs for orbit transportation of future payloads, very high-power Hall Effect thrusters of 20 kW or above are at the forefront of several initiatives today. Be it as single or clustered units, the combined thrust of these electric propulsion systems (EPS) paves the way to allowing larger spacecraft and more ambitious missions to be envisaged. However, given that these missions would require significant burn time of the EPS, several important issues must be addressed that go beyond the simple ability of manufacturing larger EPS components. Specifically, qualifying such electric thrusters for lifetime is currently a showstopper. In the race to the Moon and Mars, as well as other lucrative commercial missions within earth’s orbit beyond 2030, the European Space industry must catch up with the US. Studies within Europe have already been initiated for the incremental development of 20-kW class Hall thrusters such as the FP7 HiPER project which produced the PPS®20k ML thruster up to TRL4, FP7 CHEOPS project which permitted SITAEL to develop their 20kW HET, ESA projects allowing UNIPI to develop their nested multi-channel TANDEM thruster or the ongoing H2020 ASPIRE project led by SITAEL. Nevertheless, given the challenges and the opportunities that VHP present, research such as proposed in CHEOPS-VHP-BB must be anticipated now ahead of its effective deployment in 2030-40. Project activities will complement ongoing thruster-focused development activities with research and development on key building blocks essential for the future use of VHP Hall thruster systems: overall system architecture against various mission use cases, robust and cost-effective approach to qualification using Probabilistic Failure Analysis, manufacturability of key components subject to wear, notably the discharge chamber and cathode and the ability to envisage alternative propellants and power sources for future missions.

The TRADES doctoral training network aims to address a skills gap in the photonics sector by training a cohort of 15 doctoral candidates with the advanced skills necessary for the development of innovative and enabling photonics components. The network will deliver a research and training programme focussed on key steps in product development from concept, through sustainable production and precise characterisation, right up to implementation, and will equip the doctoral candidates with the interdisciplinary skills necessary to drive the research forward. The network fellows will design and develop robust dispersive components based on sub-wavelength gratings waveguide structures to produce gratings for both intra-cavity and extra-cavity applications in high power lasers operating in the 1 and 2 µm spectral regions. To do so the fellows will push state of the art deposition, lithographic and etching techniques to their limits, and explore how they can be used to optimise the manufacturability, efficiency (>99.9%) and LIDT > 1J/cm2 for sub-ps pulses, of the final gratings. In parallel the fellows will be provided with non-academic research exposure and training in innovation management, enterprise and entrepreneurship in a highly integrated format beyond the normal generic skills training. This will contribute to producing highly sought after graduates, who are capable of inventing, innovating and converting knowledge into products and services for economic benefit and are fluent in the business planning and innovation management aspects of their research. Preparing them for future careers in photonic technology research and development.

The EU generates 12.6 million tonnes of textile waste per year, with only 22% currently collected for reuse or recycling—the rest often incinerated or landfilled. With mandating separate textile collection across the EU by 2025, the collected amount is expected to increase and we must upscale sorting and recycling capacity and efficiency to ensure sustainable recovery of the material. SORT4CIRC’s overall ambition is to improve value creation and cost efficiency through automated sorting and innovative recycling. This will generate new revenue streams for sorters and recyclers by turning non-re-wearable textiles into valuable feedstock for high-value recycling. The project will strive to unlock the current technological gaps for textile identification and value-chain traceability, while providing an overall sound business case driving circularity within the textile value chain (TVC). The use of modern digital technology in the sorting process will make it easier to achieve comprehensive information of the materials and fabrication process steps and integrate it to automated presorting and sorting for recycling processes. The different & complementary techonolgies are interlinked with each other with interoperable architecture to achieve complete traceability. Results generated are cross-checked to ensure reliability and consistency, to make decision over its optimal channel for reuse or recycling. SORT4CIRC gathers all relevant expertise to develop a systemic transformative solution enabling a traceable, circular textile industry: industrial collector and sorter, design for recycling by allowing disassembly, technology developers (machine learning, Artificial Intelligence (AI), imaging, hyperspectral, NIR, multisensors), recyclers (chemical, thermo-mechanical and mechanical), along with specialists in supply chain traking and tracing, digital passports, blockchain technology and IoT, textile business models, trade and LCC/LCA.