BioMates, Horizon 2020
The Horizon 2020-funded project BioMates, launched in October 2016, aspires the cost-effective production of defined intermediates out of 2nd generation biomass, which can be fed directly and risk-free into an existing refinery towards the production of hybrid fuels (= based on fossil and up to 30% renewable feedstock). Non-food/feed plant biomass is first converted into bio-oil by ablative fast pyrolysis. The bio-oil can then be further treated by mild catalytic hydro-processing to yield intermediates with the required material properties. A pilot plant was developed that can turn up to five kilograms of straw and non-food plants into bio-oil.