• The HICCUPS project proposes a circular solution to convert CO2 emissions, from biogas generated in wastewater treatment plants, into biodegradable polymers suitable for use in the food industry.

ACCIONA will participate in the European innovation project HICCUPS, whose objective is to develop an efficient solution to convert biogenic CO2 emissions from biogas obtained in wastewater treatment plants, into plastics. that can be used, mainly, in the food industry.

The concept of the project lies in the use of innovative technologies that allow carbon dioxide to be captured from biogas and converted into monomers or Building blocks that, after a polymerization reaction, give rise to a compound with excellent properties and completely biodegradable, with the capacity to be used in numerous applications. The implementation of these technologies will allow a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and the obtaining of a completely renewable fossil material. As an example, a WWTP with an average treatment flow of 100,000 m3/day produces about 3,600 m3/day of CO2, which represents approximately 2,372 tons per year that, with this project, can be captured and subsequently transformed into biodegradable polymers. for later use.

HICCUPS will introduce separation membranes for the capture and purification of carbon dioxide from biogas in a WWTP operated by ACCIONA. ACCIONA will carry out the demonstration of the CO2 capture technology and its long-term stability.

HICCUPS, with a budget of more than 7 million euros and co-financed by the HORIZON EUROPE program of the European Union (HORIZON-JU-CBE-2022, GA 101112455), will last four years (2023-2027). Coordinated by Avantium Chemicals, it will have the participation of ACCIONA and other entities that will cover the project’s value chain in order to ensure the implementation of the developed solution on a real scale.

HICCUPS (HORIZON-JU-CBE 2022, GA 101112455) is co-funded by the European Union. The views and opinions expressed, however, are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Joint Undertaking for a Circular Biobased Europe (CBE JU). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.