EU-funded researchers are developing low-polluting techniques for recovering valuable metals from communications and green technology waste. This 'urban mining' could help to reduce pollution and ensure a secure supply of metals critical to a low-carbon, connected economy.
Algae grown, harvested and processed using new techniques developed by EU-funded researchers could supply greener alternatives to common ingredients - putting more eco-friendly cosmetics on the shelf and adding more sustainable foods to the menu.
Wind, wave, tidal - there is plenty of energy to harvest at sea, and plenty of room for innovation to tap this potential for greater sustainability contributing to a key sector in the European Commission's Green Deal. Test sites from several countries have joined forces to strengthen Europe's position at the forefront of this area of R&D. An EU-funded project has taken their cooperation a step further.
An advanced biofuel plant under construction in Romania is at the centre of an EU-funded project to prove the environmental and economic benefits of producing cellulosic ethanol from agricultural residues.
The ocean plays a vital role in our lives, both environmentally and economically. In order to protect this precious resource, EU-funded research is helping to deepen our understanding of the interlinking factors impacting Europe's coastal waters.
EU and industry researchers are developing an innovative biorefinery which will convert by-products from the dairy industry into valuable materials that can be used to produce bio-based products, including biodegradable plastic, feeding into the EU's expanding bio-based sector.
With some 210 million buildings in Europe, most of them energy inefficient, the scope for sustainability gains is huge. How would Europe deal with the cost of all those renovations? An EU-funded pilot scheme that already involves 65 banks is proposing incentivised mortgages as a way to leverage the necessary funds, fast.
EU-funded researchers behind a breakthrough solar-energy technology have also laid the material foundations for a new generation of digital displays that could surpass latest-generation OLED screens in brightness, colour range and energy efficiency.
EU-funded researchers are using innovative genomic and microfluidic technologies to identify useful enzymes in nature which could reduce the need for toxic chemicals, save energy, and boost the overall sustainability of a range of industries, from agriculture to pharmaceuticals.
Amid an urgent need to cut carbon emissions to combat climate change, EU-funded researchers have developed a new generation of highly efficient power plants for generating heat and electricity from biomass.
