The IV Energy Engineering Congress (iENER) organized by the AEE Spain Chapter took place on April 20 and 21 in Valencia. After the success of the first three editions, iENER has become an event of national and international importance for energy professionals where the top experts meet and assess the “general picture”, new technologies, regulatory developments and current trends in the energy sector.
Taking advantage of this forum in the energy sector, José Ignacio Domínguez Carrero, head of CIDAUT Energy projects, showed the advantages of using ammonia as a carrier of renewable hydrogen to promote the decarbonization of the economy.
CIDAUT is currently working on several projects related to the use of renewable ammonia. Among these projects, the collaboration with REDEXIS in the ZEPPELIN[1] project stands out. CIDAUT participates in the research of alternative processes for storing green hydrogen in the form of ammonia carrying out a comparative study with other forms of hydrogen storage and dimensioning a process of storage of renewable hydrogen in the form of ammonia adapted to the fixed production and use needs.
Within the HYDROMAR[2] project, CIDAUT participates in industrial research on the logistics chain of maritime transport of hydrogen in different formats, including ammonia. Finally, CIDAUT is part of the NEWBUNKER2project in which where it is in charge of the analysis of the state of the art in maritime propulsion systems with alternative fuels to conventional fuels, such as ammonia and hydrogen, identifying the different supply modalities (bunkering) of these fuels depending on the storage system and power generation system installed on board..
[1] This project, with the file number MIG-20211076, has been subsidized by the Center for Industrial Technological Development (CDTI), within the framework of the 2021 call for the MISIONES SCIENCE AND INNOVATION Program (Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan), and has the support of the Ministry of Science and Innovation. The aid granted to the project is financed by the European Union through the Next GenerationEU Fund.
[2] This project has been supported by the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism, within the call for Innovative Business Groups (AEI).
The city of Valencia has hosted the several activities that Gasnam-Neutral Transport has organized on the occasion of its General Assembly, in which CIDAUT as a member of the Board of Directors has actively participated. This emblematic city, which hosts a multitude of innovation projects related to renewable gases, and the facilities of the Port Authority of Valencia, have been the ideal setting to bring together about 150 professionals who shared views on what are the key levers to promote the use of biomethane and hydrogen and decarbonize the different modes of transport.
The activities, which took place on April 19 and 20, included the General Assembly and the organization of the various working groups that actively participate in the association and whose work is of vital importance. The sessions provided an opportunity to discuss the use of biomethane in transport, the development of the hydrogen refuelling station network and the promotion of innovation projects in maritime transport. They were attended by various institutions, including the director of Ecological Transition of the Port Authority of Valencia and representatives of the Directorate of Climate Change of the Generalitat Valenciana, the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda and the IDAE. All of them highlighted the importance of public-private collaboration in the search for common objectives.
These sessions showed, among others, result of the HYDROMAR[1] and NEWBUNKER projects promoted by the AEI GASNAM and in which CIDAUT participates as a partner.
The F. CIDAUT participates together with 3 other technology centers (CTAG, ITENE, I2CAT) in the INTEGRA Network. This Network is financed by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and the CDTI, thought the Cervera Technological Centers program (00140188CER-20211031)
Its creation constitutes a step towards the development of local autonomous transport, which tries to optimize the movements of passengers and goods, guaranteeing the safety of users and minimizing the environmental cost.
The INTEGRA network has just launched the “I Young Researcher Competition”, with the objective to find innovative technical solutions that contribute to achieving ultra-safe autonomous and connected driving in complex urban environments.
The competition is mainly aimed at University students around the world and University graduates who have finished their studies in the last 2 years.
The prize will be unique and will consist of the publication of a scientific article with the collaboration of the INTEGRA Network. The finalists, for their part, will receive a diploma accrediting their condition.
Those interested in participating in the Competition must fill out a participation application that will include the proposal or idea in accordance with the requirements established in the Competition rules document. For more information you could visit our LinkedIn: REDINTEGRA or visit our page web: www.cidaut.es
The ESTELLA consortium held its First General Assembly on the 7th and 8th of February in León (Spain). The aim of this meeting was to review the current status of all the tasks carried out during the project and to present the next steps.
The main objective of the ESTELLA project is to increase the sustainability of thermosetting epoxy composites by acting on the whole value chain of the materials, starting from the design stage through the introduction of CAN bonds in both fossil- and bio-based matrices and fibres. Ultimately this will enable their recycling, while redefining all manufacturing and recycling processes involved, ensuring the maximal recovery rate of its components, and strengthening the environmental and economical dimensions of thermosetting composites value chain.
In this first phase of the project, two main tasks are being carried out: the development of raw materials and the investigation of microorganisms capable of degrading the developed composite. On the one hand, raw material developers are engaged in polymer design and functionalisation and fibres in order to be able to start manufacturing the tailor-made biocomposites in the coming year. On the other hand, microorganism researchers are evaluating the different species that appear in cultures made from commercial epoxy resins.
CIDAUT continues to advance in the development of thermoset composite materials with improved recyclability properties that can be used in applications that require high performance materials (construction, aeronautics and automotive) in the framework of the European project r-LightBioCom, which has just been launched.
r-LightBioCom’s main objective is to reduce environmental impact of the new lightweight HPC, not only during their production but also during their operational life and after achieving their final lifetime (inherent recyclability properties), while providing improved mechanical properties, weight reduction and new functionalities.
This project, funded by the European Commission, is part of the Horizon Europe programme, one of the most competitive and prestigious calls for proposals at European level, which exclusively promotes projects with great excellence. It has a budget of 4.2 million euros and is made up of 15 multidisciplinary partners.
The consortium is coordinated by the Textile and Cosmetics Research and Innovation Centre (Aitex) and Cidaut leads and coordinates two important tasks. The first is dedicated to the processing of the new materials developed to obtain composites using novel and environmentally friendly technologies. The second is the analysis of the life cycle of the materials and processes that will allow validation of their environmental viability.
The project has already held its kick-off meeting in Alicante (Spain) on 30th and 31st January.
For CIDAUT it is great news that a new European R&D project has been awarded in one of the most competitive and highest level calls for proposals, Horizon Europe. This consolidates us as an international benchmark in the field of recycling complex plastic materials, such as fibre-reinforced composites, as well as in the development of more sustainable solutions. This is a very important line of work at a time when administrations, companies and society are demanding plastic materials with a lower environmental impact.
Last 17th February 2023 Bionanopolys project consortium performed a Virtual Open Day, where partners explained how to develop, test or upscale bionanomaterials in this open innovation test bed environment.
Our Open innovation test-bed has a lot of services to offer! With our 14 technical services (pilot plants) you will get the unique opportunity to accelerate your development of biobased bionanomaterials (https://www.bionanopolys.eu/pilot-plants/). And with our additional transversal and non-technical business services, our team will help you to pave your way to the market.
Let’s join forces and develop innovative bionanomaterials! and we would like to explain how to develop, test or upscale bionanomaterials in this open innovation test bed environment.
CIDAUT together with Valladolid City Council is implementing several measures to make the urban transport more intelligent and sustainable. Among the measures that included connectivity solutions and decarburization of mobility, the one that we want to introduce today is the monitoring of the vehicles using the charge and discharge parking slots especially devoted to last mile applications.
The solution to be applied is based on artificial intelligence technology. The parking space will be recorded, warranting the anonymization of users’ data, and the software developed by Cidaut will be able to distinguish between passenger cars, small vans, medium vans and trucks. The algorithm has been programmed to determine if the public space is used properly, but also to measure the average time of parking attending to the typology of vehicle. The aim is to optimize the use of the urban space to improve the last mile solutions offered to the citizens.
The innovative solution will allow to obtain valuable information to better understand the level of occupancy of this kind of public space and at the same time to provide useful information to the definition and location of this kind of parking slots attending to the city needs.
The research leading to these results is receiving funding from Horizon Europe under Grant Agreement 101069782 in the frame of URBANE Project.
On January 26, the General Assembly of the Spanish Hydrogen Technological Platform (PTe H2) took place.
During the assembly, the current situation of the hydrogen sector and its challenges and strengths were described. It was concluded that it is going through a great moment and represents a key economic growth opportunity for Spain.
Likewise, the coordinators and vice-coordinators of the Working Groups that make up the Platform presented the activities carried out during 2022 and the challenges and lines of action proposed for this year. José Ignacio Domínguez Carrero, as coordinator of the group for the uses of hydrogen in mobility and vice-coordinator of the group for the uses of hydrogen in industry, participated on behalf of CIDAUT.
In addition, during the event, the first corporate changes implemented were shown, such as the new logo and the creation of a LinkedIn group.
From 14th to 16th of April, the second edition of the Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Show will be held in Valladolid. The event will take place in Feria de Muestras de Valladolid, located at Avenida Ramón Pradera 3. Most of the most important car manufactures will be present with their latest electric and hybrid products and also mobility as a service solutions.
CIDAUT will show its latest research and development solutions for sustainable mobility and intelligent transport applications. Examples of artificial intelligence applied to last mile solutions, the presentation of an innovative electric bicycle with photovoltaic panels embedded, the role of hydrogen in the forthcoming mobility, the use of sustainable materials to reduce the weight of the vehicles and the integral safety solutions for the different levels of automated driving will be some of the technical improvements to touch and feel at CIDAUT’s booth.
CIDAUT, as an expert in the use of hydrogen and ammonia in propulsion systems, participates in the NEWBunker project, an initiative that aims to analyze the state of the art in marine propulsion systems with alternative fuels to conventional fuels, such as ammonia and hydrogen. The project will make it possible to identify the different supply modalities (bunkering) of these fuels depending on the storage system and the power generation system installed on board the ship.
NEWBunker is a project led by Gasnam with the technical management of Gas Natural Comercializadora (Naturgy group) and the participation of ESK, Fundación CIDAUT, TESICNOR, Siport21 and AEI-Basque Maritime Forum. This initiative has received a grant of aid for about 175,000 euros in the 2022 call for support for innovative business groups to improve the competitiveness of small and medium-sized companies.
