The integration of reaction and downstream processing steps into a single unit is of central importance in order to achieve a new level of process intensification for catalytic driven and eco-friendly reaction systems. This disruptive technology concept has the ability to reduce the total energy consumption of large volume industrial processes by up to 78%. Additionally, emissions can be reduced by up to 90% To achieve this, HOMOGENEOUS catalysts are supported on membranes. Embedding the homogeneous catalysts in thin films of non-volatile ionic liquids (SILP technology) will maintain their catalytic abilities as in the homogeneous phase while the anchoring directly on the membrane ensures a most efficient separation. The new technology concept will be proven by two prominent large volume reaction types: a) Processes with undesired consecutive reactions like hydroformylation and b) Equilibrium driven reactions like water gas shift (WGS) reaction. These processes for bulk chemicals and bio energy applications have been chosen to demonstrate the high impact of the ROMEO technology in an industrial near environment. Nonetheless, it is a core task to also get a detailed understanding of the general processes on a molecular level for the different required functionalities. One achievement will therefore be to provide a modelling “tool-box” that can be applied to any other process in order to check the benefits of the ROMEO technology for a specific reaction in a short time. The ROMEO reactor methodology allows being highly flexible and adapting to both different process and volume requirements. An increase in production volume can then be achieved by a simple numbering up of reactor modules.

Microscopic plastic debris, so-called microplastics (MP), pose a global challenge. As most plastic is produced and used inland, the considerable lack of knowledge on their sources and impacts in freshwater ecosystems inhibits effective mitigation measures. To meet this challenge, LimnoPlast will for the first time bring together environmental, technical, and social sciences with the vision to transform a new understanding of freshwater MP to innovative solutions. LimnoPlast will: - Train a new type of scientists able to tackle the complex plastics issue holistically and contribute to Europe’s innovation and Circular Economy capacity. Working at the interface of three usually very distant disciplines, they will promote a step change in how we deal with this and future environmental challenges. - Provide the first comprehensive assessment of the sources and impacts of freshwater MP based on the analysis of three major urban areas as hotspots of plastic pollution. - Innovate technological solutions to the plastics issue, including novel processes to remove MP from municipal and industrial wastewater as well as bio-degradable, environmentally sound polymers. - Promote societal change by understanding the economic, legislative and social context of freshwater MP. - Transform science into a set of specific solutions, including (I) the prioritization of actions based on the sources and impacts of MP, development of (II) better processes and polymers, (III) risk communication strategies and societal interventions, (IV) effective policy and legislative interventions. - Transfer the LimnoPlast outcomes to European decision makers, stakeholders and the public to enable and promote action on freshwater MP using an innovative communication and dissemination strategy.

We will validate an affordable (28% reduction of total costs) and lightweight (35% weight reduction) solution for envelope insulation to bring existing curtain wall buildings to “nearly zero energy” standards while complying with the structural limits of the original building structure and national building codes. Two key commercial insulating products: • Highly insulating mono-component and environmentally friendly spray foam, EENSULATE foam, for the cost-effective automated manufacturing and insulation of the opaque components of curtain walls as well as for the significant reduction of thermal bridges during installation (SELENA and EVONIK in cooperation with ULSTER); • Lightweight and thin double pane vacuum glass, EENSULATE glass, for the insulation of the transparent component of curtain walls, manufactured through an innovative low temperature process using polymeric flexible adhesives and distributed getter technology, thus allowing to use both annealed and tempered glass as well as low emissivity coatings (AGC, SAES and TVITEC in cooperation with ULSTER and UNIVPM ). A multi-functional thermo-tunable coating will allow for dynamic solar gain control as well as anti-fogging and self-cleaning properties (AGC in cooperation with UCL). They will enable insulating solutions that Focchi, DAPP and Unstudio will promote with two different levels of performance: • EENSULATE Basic curtain wall modules where the thermal and acoustic insulation will be provided by the novel EENSULATE glass and EENSULATE foam in the spandrel combined with state of the art low-e coated glass; • EENSULATE Premium modules integrating the thermo-chromic coated glass with additional self-cleaning and anti-fogging functionalities. BGTEC will exploit the limited thickness and high insulating properties of the EENSULATE glass to introduce in their range innovative solutions for the fenestration challenges in historical buildings, compatible with the original window frames and sash designs.

The MACBETH consortium provides a breakthrough technology for advanced downstream processing by combining catalytic synthesis with the corresponding separation units in a single highly efficient catalytic membrane reactor (CMR). This disruptive technology has the ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) of large volume industrial process by up to 45 %. Additionally, resource and energy efficiency will be increased by up to 70%. The revolutionary new reactor design will not only guarantee substantially smaller and safer production plants, but has also a tremendous competitive advantage since CAPEX is decreased by up to 50% and OPEX by up to 80%. The direct industrial applicabilty will be demonstrated by the long term operation of TRL 7 demo plants for the highly relevant and large scale processes: hydroformylation, hydrogen production, propane dehydrogenation. The confidence of the MACBETH consortium to reach its highly ambitious goals are underlined by two special extensions that go well beyond the ordinary scope of an EU project: 1) Transfer of CMR technology to biotechnology: Within MACBETH we will demonstrate that starting from building blocks of TRL 5 (not from a TRL 5 pilot plant), that fit the requirements of selective enzymatical cleavage of fatty acids with the combined support and system knowledge of the experienced CMR partners, a TRL 7 demo plant will be established and operated 2) Creation of the spin-off European “Lighthouse Catalytic Membrane Reactors” (LCMR) within MACBETH: A European competence center for CMR will be established already within the MACBETH project with an actual detailed business plan including partner commitment. These efforts will ultimately lead to the foundation of the “Lighthouse Catalytic Membrane Reactors” (LCMR) that will provide access to the combined knowledge of the MACBETH project .