{"id":170399,"date":"2025-11-17T07:29:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-17T06:29:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/?p=170399"},"modified":"2025-11-11T14:15:37","modified_gmt":"2025-11-11T13:15:37","slug":"sterope-pioneering-europes-new-model-of-carbon-circularity-and-industrial-decarbonization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/sterope-pioneering-europes-new-model-of-carbon-circularity-and-industrial-decarbonization\/","title":{"rendered":"STEROPE: Pioneering Europe\u2019s new model of carbon circularity and industrial decarbonization"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
\n
\"Coordinated
Coordinated by\u00a0HELLENiQ ENERGY\u00a0<\/strong>(Greece), the STEROPE consortium brings together sixteen partners from eight European countries – Here: the kick-off-meeting on 30\u201331 October 2025\u00a0in Athens \u00a9 HELLENiQ ENERGY<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

STEROPE\u00a0is a new European project<\/a>\u00a0that will demonstrate how\u00a0advanced Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) technologies can transform industrial CO\u2082 emissions into sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), renewable marine fuels, and bio-based chemicals, using green hydrogen and innovative catalytic and membrane systems.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Led by HELLENiQ ENERGY (Greece), this four-year initiative unites 16 European partners from eight countries in a\u00a0multidisciplinary effort to accelerate industrial decarbonisation, strengthen Europe\u2019s technological leadership, and advance its transition towards climate neutrality.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Driving Europe\u2019s industrial transformation<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Funded under the Horizon Europe Programme, STEROPE<\/strong> (Synergistic Advanced Carbon Capture Technologies for ConvERsion of Industrially Emitted CO\u2082 to sustainable Production of biofuels and chEmicals<\/em>) embodies the EU\u2019s vision of an innovative, resilient and sustainable industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By converting CO\u2082 emissions from refineries and other hard-to-abate sectors into renewable fuels, the project provides tangible solutions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions while reinforcing industrial competitiveness, strategic autonomy, and job preservation across Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The initiative directly contributes to the goals of the European Green Deal, the Fit-for-55 package, and the EU Industrial Strategy, supporting the transition towards net-zero emissions by 2050 and reducing dependence on imported fossil energy.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"CEO
Deputy CEO George Alexopoulos \u00a9 HELLENIQ ENERGY<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n
\n

\u201cThe energy transition demands commitment and coordinated action\u201d stated George Alexopoulos, Deputy CEO and Group Strategic Planning & New Activities General Manager at HELLENiQ ENERGY<\/strong>. \u201cThrough STEROPE, we are transforming CO\u2082 from a liability into an opportunity – developing technologies that decarbonise operations and create new European value chains in hydrogen and sustainable fuels.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

A new paradigm of carbon circularity<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

STEROPE will implement a first-of-its-kind TRL 7 demonstration at the Eleusis refinery (Greece) – a fully operational industrial site – where three complementary CCU prototype units (capture, conversion and synthesis) will be designed, constructed, installed and operated under real refinery conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This large-scale integration represents a turning point for industrial CCU deployment in Europe, demonstrating the technical and economic viability of decarbonising existing assets rather than replacing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A digital-twin platform will continuously optimise performance, energy efficiency and environmental impact, maximising the use of renewable electricity and system flexibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By coupling CO\u2082 valorisation with renewable hydrogen and advanced catalytic conversion, STEROPE showcases how Europe can close the carbon loop and redefine the future of its industrial base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scientific excellence with societal impact<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

STEROPE will:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Demonstrate the conversion of industrial CO\u2082 emissions into SAF and renewable marine fuels.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Design, build and operate a TRL 7 demonstration plant fully integrated into a working refinery.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Advance circular economy and industrial symbiosis principles for resource efficiency.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Conduct LCA, TEA and social-impact assessments to ensure sustainability and scalability.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Support regulatory validation of SAF and marine fuels for real market applications.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
    \n

    \u201cBridging industrial R&D with real-world deployment is crucial\u201d noted Dr Spyros Kiartzis, Manager of New Technologies and Alternative Energy Sources at HELLENiQ ENERGY.<\/strong> \u201cSTEROPE unites Europe\u2019s top expertise to convert CO\u2082 emissions into sustainable fuels – an essential step for sectors such as aviation and maritime, where electrification is not yet feasible.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

    A European powerhouse of innovation<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Coordinated by HELLENiQ ENERGY <\/strong>(Greece), the STEROPE consortium brings together sixteen partners from eight European countries, combining industrial expertise, academic research, and technological innovation. The partnership includes leading institutions such as the Instituto de Cat\u00e1lisis y Petroleoqu\u00edmica ICP-CSIC <\/strong>(Spain), Centre for Research and Technology Hellas \u2013 CERTH <\/strong>(Greece), Centre for Renewable Energy Sources and Saving Foundation \u2013 CRES <\/strong>(Greece), Universiteit Gent <\/strong>(Belgium), the Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy of the University of Belgrade <\/strong>(Serbia), and the Universit\u00e0 degli Studi di Genova <\/strong>(Italy), alongside industrial and innovation actors including the Spanish Technology and Innovation Platform on Biocircularity \u2013 BIOPLAT <\/strong>(Spain), Aegean Airlines <\/strong>(Greece), DANAOS Shipping Company Limited <\/strong>(Cyprus), Maturus OptimI BV <\/strong>(Netherlands), Analisis-DSC<\/strong> Dynamic & Security Computations SL <\/strong>(Spain), Ercros S.A. <\/strong>(Spain), Moravacem <\/strong>(Serbia), Cranfield University <\/strong>(United Kingdom), and the Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute <\/strong>(Cyprus).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This multidisciplinary alliance brings together expertise in CCU, hydrogen technologies, catalysis, process engineering, digital optimisation and sustainability assessment, ensuring that the technologies developed are both innovative and commercially viable, while addressing Europe\u2019s environmental, energy and industrial challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Towards Europe\u2019s next generation of clean fuels<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    At the kick-off meeting held on 30\u201331 October 2025 in Athens, partners outlined the roadmap for the first implementation phase and joint research priorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The event featured the participation and support of Maria Georgiadou, Senior Policy Officer at the European Commission\u2019s DG Research and Innovation (DG RTD), who highlighted STEROPE\u2019s strategic importance as a lighthouse initiative for Europe\u2019s transition to a circular, climate-neutral industrial economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n

    Eva Nanaki, Project Coordinator and Innovation Analyst at HELLENiQ ENERGY,<\/strong> closed the event, highlighting the project\u2019s unifying vision: \u201cSTEROPE reflects Europe\u2019s shared ambition to transform industry through science and collaboration. By demonstrating CCU technologies directly in an operating refinery, we bridge innovation with reality\u2014turning research into impact, and emissions into resources.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    STEROPE\u00a0is a new European project\u00a0that will demonstrate how\u00a0advanced Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) technologies can transform industrial CO\u2082 emissions into sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), renewable marine fuels, and bio-based chemicals, using green hydrogen and innovative catalytic and membrane systems. Led by HELLENiQ ENERGY (Greece), this four-year initiative unites 16 European partners from eight countries in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":170432,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","nova_meta_subtitle":"Transforming industrial CO\u2082 into sustainable fuels for aviation, maritime and chemicals through innovation, industrial symbiosis and real-scale refinery integration","footnotes":""},"categories":[5571],"tags":[6843,5714,10744,12330,10416,15511,16792,10743],"supplier":[27201,5585,27200,24610],"class_list":["post-170399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-co2-based","tag-biochemicals","tag-biofuels","tag-carboncapture","tag-ccu","tag-circulareconomy","tag-greenhydrogen","tag-saf","tag-useco2","supplier-bioplat","supplier-european-union","supplier-helleniq-energy","supplier-horizon-europe"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170399","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=170399"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170399\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/170432"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=170399"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=170399"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=170399"},{"taxonomy":"supplier","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/supplier?post=170399"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}