Welcome to our Q&A series, where our exceptional team addresses key questions about the NIAGARA project: its innovations in advanced biofuels, scientific and technological breakthroughs, and its transformative impact on the European Union’s energy landscape.
Today, we speak with Arthur Waeber, doctoral assistant from the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne.
How do you believe the NIAGARA project contributes to advancing the development and adoption of sustainable biofuels?
“By integrating low TRL technologies into a compact plant, the NIAGARA project demonstrates potential synergies between promising innovations surrounding sustainable biofuels, promoting combined efficiency and low carbon emissions to support their future deployment. Also the exploration of different locations and the valorization of waste streams are key improvements for future implementations.”
How do you think NIAGARA’s innovative approach will influence future research in advanced biofuels??
“It is/will be very interesting to see the different operating constraints of each technology and how these can be adapted to yield optimal plant performance.”
What unique expertise does your organisation bring to the NIAGARA consortium, and how does this enhance the project’s impact?
“The real benefits of the NIAGARA plant can only be derived from a systemic optimization combining all the considered technologies. Synergies with other industrial sectors is also assessed through the multi-objective optimization framework ROSMOSE, developed within our lab at EPFL. Further, the ability of performing multi-period analysis for optimal plant operation with respect to external variations (feedstock availability, renewable electricity production).”
What role do advanced biofuels play in reducing the EU’s carbon footprint, and how does NIAGARA accelerate this process?
“Considering micro-algae combined with a large spectrum of different feedstocks, NIAGARA contributes to the research on the complementarity of different biogenic feedstocks for electricity and heat production, the valorisation of waste streams and carbon circularity.”
Stay tuned as we continue exploring the groundbreaking work of the NIAGARA project in upcoming articles.
