Spent caustic is a highly toxic by-product created in the oil and petrochemical refining industries that is highly challenging to process. Modern solutions are either unable to meet wastewater treatment regulations or are cost prohibitive. This has resulted in large stockpiles of this hazardous waste now building at refineries with no accessible way to dispose of it. Since 2016 Cetaqua and Suez have been collaborating in development of an innovative solution: “EPC-EqTech” – a plant that combines three core technologies: Electro Coagulation (EC), Electro Oxidation (EO) and Electroperoxi-coagulation (EPC) to create a novel solution capable of processing spent caustic at low-cost and within regulatory parameters. Joining Cetaqua and Suez, the FTI project consortium includes Tüpraş as pilot trial lead end-user and DEKRA as materials development and safety regulations partner. EPC-EqTech is poised to solve this industry-wide challenge and save our target market an estimated 2,4 bnEUR compared to modern alternatives by processing spent caustic on-site with a highly cost-effective and efficient technology. Among others, EPC-EqTech provides its users the following benefits: - Environmentally compatible application; - Hard COD removal; - Highly-effective; - Very low CAPEX and OPEX compared to competitors with better process control; - Meets all known regulatory standards; - In-situ processing that is simple to operate; - Scalable to meet refinery demands; - High pollutant removal efficiencies at acidic medium (optimal pH range) with no H2O2 accumulation. To bring EPC-EqTech to market, our European consortium provides the required technical expertise and commercial position to: 1) Finalise development of our complete solution; 2) Complete TRL7 trials with spent caustic streams; 3) Prepare for commercial integration with all of the tools required for success.

The purpose of this action is to assist the €2.8bn European and global liquid storage and distribution industry in reducing the costs involved in ensuring that leaks do not occur from 500,000 above ground storage tanks (ASTs), thus avoiding avoid damage to the environment and the loss of revenue from the unscheduled outages of leaking tanks, currently estimated at €132m. At its core is the exploitation of Plant Integrity’s proven non-invasive storage tank floor monitoring technology capable of detecting defects as small as 25mm. Plant Integrity’s SafeAST system provides continuous structural condition monitoring of ASTs, detecting any corrosion hotspots in the internal tank floor without the need to empty the tank and manually inspect the welds. Plant Integrity provides this continuous monitoring by integrating its long range ultrasonic testing (LRUT) with sophisticated sensors and systems in order to detect defects in the annular ring and bottom plates. The principal aim of this action is to provide final pre-launch confirmation of performance data to demonstrate the capability of SafeAST in detecting time-dependent degradation of the AST tank floor. The secondary aim is to provide a package of comprehensive launch material (including validated Technical Reports, supportive marketing material, final hardware specification and software sign-off) to aid a successful launch. The five-strong SafeAST consortium comprises the Tüpras oil and gas company which operates tank farms, research and academic organisations, plus client-facing industrial product development consultancies. Its Vision is to create a highly profitable, sustainable company (cash positive in 2 years, turnover €24m in four years) capable of delivering both hardware and services worth €80k pa to the AST condition monitoring sector (t/o €800m in Europe alone) and for its core technology to be recognised as the global primary on-line monitoring method in the world’s 7600 live plants.

Today, there are more than 40 major transnational oil and gas pipelines traversing Europe, accounting for over 34,565 km of strategically critical pipeline infrastructure, 40% of which are over 40 years old and subject to corrosion induced catastrophic failures impacting negatively upon European society and its economy. With such an extensive and growing network of pipelines, and a corollary increasing incidence of failures, it is no longer feasible to rely upon current intermittent manual inspection techniques to maintain safe operation, from the twin perspectives of probability of detection over such large network, and consequence of failure given the hazardous materials being distributed. Clearly, a wide-area coverage Structural Health Monitoring solution is overdue. The iPerm project seeks to address this challenge by developing a permanent, intelligent and energy-efficient wireless monitoring network which will deliver a step-change improvement over existing inspection systems, and thus a step change in the safety and reliability of Europe’s pipeline network. The FTI Pilot is the ideal instrument us, a trans-disciplinary and cross-sectoral consortium, to utilize in order to commercialize a technological solution that has already gained traction in the market. It will enable us leverage our own investment and reduce the time required to refine and scale up our concept in order to deliver it to international markets. Our vision is to capture 3,3% of the Oil & Gas segment, the fastest growing segment of the global NDT market, within 5 years following product launch aiming to add (cumulatively) €26.79 million to our top-line and generate more than €6.93 million in operating profit resulting to an investment multiple of 2 times the European funding. In addition, we will create 215 new direct jobs as a result of the generated revenue, and more indirectly. iPerm is the definite answer to a more secure and safe environment for large-scale pipeline operations.

The HERMES project advances hydrogen separation and purification technologies through the development, scaling-up, and industrial demonstration at TRL7 of innovative membrane systems, while conducting comprehensive evaluations for safety, environmental impact, social acceptance, and cost reduction in industrial settings. The project aims at developing and scaling up two membrane technologies (Pd-based and Carbon based membranes), to design and build 2 prototypes at TRL7, and to prove the technologies at two industrial sites (in Italy and in Turkey), for separation of pure hydrogen for 5 different streams of industrial interest. The prototypes will allow the separation of hydrogen with energy consumptions well below 3.5 kWh/kg and costs below 1 euro/kg. The project will also evaluate the environmental impact of the processes with detailed LCA analysis. HERMES will also contribute to safety studies of the system and to the public awareness of the technologies. The project counts with 1 University, 2 research institutions and 4 large industries and SMEs.

The availability of compact and cost-efficient solutions for sustainable energy production is essential for renewables to become Europe's dominant primary energy source. EBIO will contribute to achieve EU’s ambitious objectives, by providing an innovative technical solution for the sustainable and socially acceptable conversion of low value crude bio liquids, specifically fast pyrolysis oil and black liquor, into energy dense transport fuels. The core of EBIO is the electrochemical upgrading of liquefied biomass to stable and energy dense bio oils and further refinery co-processing to premium transport fuels. The former step consists of successive depolymerisation, hydrogenation and decarboxylation, optimised by developing electrode materials, cell designs, separation processes and efficient integration into existing biorefinery infrastructure. An efficient, compact and safe process will be developed, operating at mild conditions, and targeting a carbon yield from crude bio liquid to transport fuel above 60%. The experimental development is supported by a broad sustainability analysis including economic feasibility, environmental footprint and impact on society and rural development. EBIO will validate the new technology at lab-scale (TRL4), using an integrated approach covering the entire process, using variable feedstock, minimising separation costs, and increasing resource and carbon efficiency. The lab scale process developed will be the prototype for a future fuel production system serving as buffer for fluctuating electricity availability. Wide implementation of EBIO technology will lead to a decrease of at least 190 MtCO2 / year, and the production of at least 61 Mt biofuels/year, considering only pyrolysis oils and black liquor feedstock. The EBIO consortium provides complementary world class expertise along the entire value chain and strong industrial commitment to maximise wide exploitation of the results through industrial implementation.