ToFUEL – AN INTEGRATED BIOREFINERY FOR SUSTAINABLE AVIATION FUEL PRODUCTION FROM TOMATO RESIDUES

The production of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) from renewable feedstock, such as agricultural waste streams, is vital in reducing the carbon footprint of the aviation sector and achieving the European climate neutrality goals. The ToFuel project focuses on converting waste streams from tomato production and processing into SAF, animal feed, fertiliser and nutritional oil via an innovative, efficient biorefinery concept. The innovative biorefinery concept efficiently processes a variety of feedstock, including agricultural residues and organic waste. Addressing key challenges in biorefining- such as low product concentrations and complex, variable input streams, and water management, all of which contribute to high energy demand- the ToFuel project aims to develop advanced, integrated CO2-neutral SAF production technologies. The overall process includes biomass fractionation via extrusion and hydrothermal liquefaction, carbon capture using algae cultivation, microbial lipid fermentation on both liquid and solid media, the pre-concentration and purification of process streams by developing and adapting new technologies, and the upgrade to SAF via the HEFA route, to achieve cost parity with other biofuels. The project will provide open-access models for process simulation, (social) life-cycle assessments, and life-cycle cost calculations, along with strategies for scale up. By project completion, the core technologies will reach TRL 5, ensuring industrial readiness. A major outcome of the project is expanded knowledge of biorefinery, water management strategies, and carbon capture and utilization via algae, thereby reducing fossil resource dependency, strengthen Europe’s leadership in sustainable fuel technologies and contributing to new green job creation. The ToFuel project will maximize impact through a clear communication and dissemination strategy, including stakeholder workshops at European and local levels, along with accompanying exploitation measures.