The project

FUEL-UP – Production of advanced biofuels via pyrolysis and upgrading of 100% biogenic residues for aviation and marine sector, including full valorisation of side streams – is a Horizon Europe Innovation Action aimed at transforming biogenic waste into advanced biofuels to enable the green transition and the decarbonisation of the aviation and the marine transport sectors.
Start Date: 01 January 2024
Budget: 8,4 M €​
​End Date: 31 December 2027
Project Number: 101136123

Current needs and gaps in existing solutions

To achieve the 2030 goals of the European Commission’s “Fit for 55” package, and the EU target towards a net zero emissions economy by 2050, a COST-EFFECTIVE production of advanced biofuels for marine and aviation sectors must be demonstrated as well as a REDUCTION in GHG emissions.
of advanced biofuels from sustainable biogenic residues to replace fossil fuels

to enable the deployment of aviation and marine advanced biofuels at commercial scale and to ensure the quality, safety, and sustainability of their use

of advanced biofuels from sustainable biogenic residues to replace fossil fuels
to improve the competitiveness of advanced biofuels in the marketplace
to be developed to promote the uptake of advanced biofuels and their integration into existing fuel production schemes

FUEL-UP project objectives and ambitions

Demonstrating the simultaneous production of renewable SAF and marine fuels from 100% biogenic waste.

Paving the way to EU certification by valuating the compatibility of marine diesel biofuel with existing shipping engines as well as by performing aviation engine tests

Accelerating technologies upscaling with process engineering and techno-economic analysis as well as improving cost-competitiveness to ensure the widespread adoption of advanced biofuels in the aviation and marine industries

Achieving up to 80% reduction in GHG emissions compared to fossil fuels and 47% reduction compared to the state-of-the-art advanced biofuels.

Assessing sustainability performance of the value chain with by-product valorisation

FUEL-UP project objectives and ambitions

FUEL-UP will provide solutions to make a paradigm shift towards the production of renewable sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) and marine fuels by producing stabilized deoxygenated pyrolysis oils (SDPO) from pyrolysis oils (PO) derived from 100% biogenic feedstock that can be subsequently processed towards a fully hydrotreated oil in a refinery. It will focus on the scalability and minor optimization of the Picula based catalysts in relation to reducing cost price.
The project will validate, at demo scale, a new route to produce sustainable liquid biofuels from lignocellulosic streams with 45-50% aviation fuel, 30-35% in the marine diesel range and 20% heavy naphtha at technology readiness level-7 (TRL-7).