Final Event organized by the Project Consortium
21 May 2025, 8:30 – 13:30
Il Fuligno, Sala Blu
Via Faenza 48, 50123 Firenze, Italy
We are excited to invite you to the final event of the Phy2Climate project, marking the conclusion of 4.5 years of collaborative research and innovation, funded by the EU’s Horizon 2020 Research & Innovation Programme.
Throughout its duration, Phy2Climate has developed and demonstrated a global solution for the recovery of arable land through improved phytoremediation combined with advanced liquid biofuel production and a climate friendly copper smelting process. The project successfully validated four phytoremediation pilot sites in Spain (South Europe), Serbia (Balkan region), Lithuania (Baltic region), and Argentina (South America) at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 5. These pilots addressed some of the most common types of soil contaminants found around the world.
The energy crops cultivated on the reclaimed lands were grown without indirect Land Use Change (iLUC) issues. They were processed at a pilot biorefinery in Germany where cutting-edge biomass conversion technologies produced four types of clean drop-in biofuels for both road and maritime transport. The project also demonstrated the production of bio-coke as a sustainable alternative to petroleum coke in the metallurgical industry. The potential for biofuel production using the Phy2Climate approach is estimated at up to 137 million m3 per year. In addition, the produced drop-in biofuels reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 95% compared to fossil fuels, offering a total saving potential of several hundred of megatons of CO2 equivalent per year. This solution supports the objectives of the Phy2Climate project and contributes to Mission Innovation Challenge 4 by advancing and environmental sustainability and technological innovation.
The consortium of 16 partners from 9 countries brings together with expertise in soil remediation & phytoremediation, advanced biofuel technologies, sustainability, legal analysis, business development.
Event agenda:
• Two keynote presentations will open the event, introducing important topics on soil remediation and conservation.
• A series of presentations will showcase the main activities and results of the project.
• Each session will include time for questions and discussion to encourage an interactive exchange between speakers and attendees.
Be part of the closing event as we share the key outcomes of this unique interdisciplinary project and highlight its contribution to a more sustainable future for land use and clean energy.
Participation is free of charge upon registration.
8:30
Registration
9:00
Opening of the Event
Marco Buffi, EC JRC
9:10
Welcome to attendees
9:35
Keynote: Phytomanagement for restoring the functions and ecosystem services of soils
Markus Puschenreiter, Austria
9:55
Keynote: Advanced conversion technologies for biomass
Isabella De Bari, ENEA (i)
10:15
Setting the scene: Phy2Climate Project
Markus Ortner, ITS Austria, Coordinator
10:30
Topic 1
Pilot-Scale Innovations in Phytoremediation: Effective Strategies for Contaminated Land
Snežana Maletić, University of Novi Sad Faculty of Sciences, Serbia
Discussion with Q&A
11:15 Coffee break
11:30
Topic 2
Transforming Biomass: Cutting-Edge Conversion Technologies for Clean Biofuels and Beyond
Christopher Kick, Fraunhofer UMSICHT, Germany
Discussion with Q&A
12:15
Topic 3
Towards Sustainable Solutions: Examining LCA, Economic Viability, and Regulatory Frameworks
– Karolina Petela, Silesian University of Technology, Poland
– Lukas Brunbauer, ITS, Austria
– Marko Perišić, Hasselt University, Belgium
Discussion with Q&A
13:15
Closure of the event
13:30 Networking lunch
