The Department of Energy of the Politecnico di Milano is also taking the field to support the spread of renewable fuels of biological and non-biological origin to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in industrial processes where the possibility of electrification remains limited, such as marine transport and the steel industry. It is a partner in the Horizon Europe Innovation Action project BUTTERFLY (Biomass Utilised To The Extended portfolio of Renewable Fuels with Large Yields) which, under the coordination of the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), brings together industries, utility companies, research centres and SMEs from 6 EU countries.

With a funding of 10.5 M€, BUTTERFLY intends to develop a process for the simultaneous production of rDME (renewable version of the molecule DME, di-methyl-ether, a possible substitute for Diesel) and SNG (Synthetic Natural Gas, which can be used in our current infrastructure). The research is developed by studying the conversion of three different biomasses (ligno-cellulosic from wood residues, industrial waste and organic waste) for applications in the steel industry, off-grid generation and heavy transport.

The diversification generated by the utilisation of these different residues, combined with their valorisation, contributes to the reduction of the cost of advanced biofuels, to the reduction of fossil fuel consumption in energy-intensive sectors and, consequently, to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

The flexibility introduced by the BUTTERFLY process will allow it to adapt to the market and biomass availability, increasing productivity and reducing costs, with carbon recovery efficiencies of around 97% and biomass conversion efficiencies 15% higher than the state of the art

confirms Prof. Giampaolo Manzolini, Full Professor in the Department of Energy and coordinator of activities for the Politecnico di Milano.

Our activities in the process focus precisely on integrating the various innovative processes developed by the partners in order to maximise the plant’s yield and provide optimal management strategies, including through Digital Twins, i.e. virtual copies of the plant that allow the best management options to be assessed in real time.