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EUBCE 2026 - Nikolaos TSONGIDIS - Project SUNFUSION: Producion of Sustainable Aviation and Marine Fuels Via Synergistic Microalgae–yeast Cultivation and Solar-assisted Continuous Hydrothermal Liquefaction

Project SUNFUSION: Producion of Sustainable Aviation and Marine Fuels Via Synergistic Microalgae–yeast Cultivation and Solar-assisted Continuous Hydrothermal Liquefaction

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Project SUNFUSION: Producion of Sustainable Aviation and Marine Fuels Via Synergistic Microalgae–yeast Cultivation and Solar-assisted Continuous Hydrothermal Liquefaction

Short Introductive summary

As the decarbonization of the aviation and maritime sectors requires energy-dense and infrastructure-compatible energy carriers, liquid biofuels are derived from renewable resources through the application of appropriate technologies. Although lipid-rich microalgal and yeast biomass is considered as promising biogenic feedstocks thanks to their high lipid content and scalability, each pathway faces its own challenges in terms of productivity, carbon utilization efficiency and energy demand processing. The SUNFUSION project proposes a solar-assisted and circular biofuel production concept that overcomes these limitations by combining complementary autotrophic and heterotrophic cultivation systems, advanced thermochemical conversion through the continuous hydrothermal liquefaction technology, thermal energy storage as well as biocrude oil upgrade for the production of sustainable aviation and marine biofuels respectively. The aim is to validate the system at laboratory environment, yet in an integrated manner corresponding, to a certain extent, to the future envisaged scaled-up operation in line with the EU priorities on decarbonization and the promotion of European energy security.

Presenter

Moderator portrait

Nikolaos TSONGIDIS

CERTH, GREECE

Presenter's biography

Dr. Nikolaos Tsongidis (MEng ChE, PhD, A.U.Th.) is a collaborating researcher at CPERI/CERTH. His work covers solar thermochemistry, materials/reactor development, biomass valorization, and process simulation. He has led/participated in 10 EU projects and authored 15+ papers (h-index: 9).

Biographies and Short introductive summaries are supplied directly by presenters and are published here unedited


Co-authors:

N.I. Tsongidis, CERTH, Thermi, Thessaloniki, GREECE
C.A. Poravou, CERTH, Thermi, Thessaloniki, GREECE
G. Pantoleontos, CERTH, Thermi, Thessaloniki, GREECE
G. Karagiannakis, CERTH, Thermi, Thessaloniki, GREECE
A. Roubaud, CEA LITEN, Grenoble, FRANCE
G. Haarlammer, CEA LITEN, Grenoble, FRANCE
A. Karousis, AUTH, Thessaloniki, GREECE
C. Chatzidoukas, AUTH, Thessaloniki, GREECE
P. Albrand, Nantes University, Saint Nazaire, FRANCE
P. Gillon, Nantes University, Sainte Nazaire, FRANCE
T. Roeder, DLR, Cologne, GERMANY
C. Lorreyte, DLR, Cologne, GERMANY
O. Taylan, METU; ODTU-GUNAM, Ankara, TURKEY
G. Celik, METU, Ankara, TURKEY
S. Nicole, TOP INDUSTRIE, Paris, FRANCE
A. Micheletti, TOP INDUSTRIE, Paris, FRANCE
R. Tschentscher, SINTEF, Oslo, NORWAY
L.J. Klau, SINTEF, Oslo, NORWAY
G.S. Is, TUPRAS, Kocaeli, TURKEY
A. Can, TUPRAS, Kocaeli, TURKEY

Session reference: 5CV.3.20