Synergistic Catalysis with Advanced Metal-Organic Structures for Sustainable Biomass Conversion

Our continued energy reliance on the depleting, and with a large climate footprint, fossil fuel reserves, as well as the increasing instability of the global supply chain network, threaten our energy security, one of the pillars of life-quality, societal, and economic growth. In 2016, 195 countries committed to the Paris Agreement to move towards climate-resilient development with lower greenhouse gas emissions for sustainable growth. The SYMBIOS project offers an innovative green solution by efficiently converting waste biomass into biofuels, promoting our transition toward renewable energy, circular carbon economy, energy security, and reduced environmental footprint. SYMBIOS proposes a ‘symbiotic’ approach between nanoparticulate catalysts and the catalytically active metal nodes of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), to engineer synergistic and high-efficiency active sites for converting low-energy-density biomass-derived alcohols into higher-energy-density biofuels. Moreover, MOFs crystallization will rely on the synthesis of tailored and functional organometallic building blocks which will stabilize the entrapped nanocatalysts, for their seamless integration. The new catalysts will leverage the unique properties of MOFs to lower energy input reaction requirements and maximize yield, selectivity, and recyclability. SYMBIOS aims to contribute towards the EU’s climate commitments by opening a new avenue for sustainable waste reforming and reducing the reliance on fossil fuels.