LUCRA

SustainabLe sUCcinic acid production using an integRAted electrochemical bioreactor and renewable feedstock

Project details

Type of project: Innovation Action - Demonstration
Project focus: Bio-based chemicals
Feedstock origin: Forestry waste
Organic waste
Feedstock type: Lignin & wood residues
Organic fraction of municipal solid waste

Project period: 1 July 2023 - 30 June 2027
Status: In progress
CBE JU Contribution: € 4 682 743,25
Call identifier: HORIZON-JU-CBE-2022

Summary

LUCRA will use the EU’s abundant and underutilised organic municipal solid waste and wood waste to produce bio-based succinic acid – a platform chemical for which there is significant demand in industry. It will deploy innovative hydrolysis methods to release carbohydrates from the waste and ferment them for the extraction of bio-succinic acid.

The project’s high-yield methods will facilitate moves from pilot- to pre-industrial-scale production. To demonstrate this, the succinic acid will be used to make polyester-based polyurethane dispersions and resins.

Circular utilisation of waste will reduce the cost of bio-succinic acid and dependence on fossil-based resources. LUCRA’s processes should also cut greenhouse gas emissions compared with conventional succinic acid production.

LUCRA aims to:

secure resource- and energy-efficient use of sustainably sourced biomass;
showcase a scalable and efficient process for sugar production from non-food biomass;
optimise the fermentation and purification process to maximise bio-succinic acid production;
demonstrate and validate succinic acid production and conversion to final products at pre-industrial scale;
produce a range of commercial products from bio-succinic acid;
reduce the costs and demonstrate the environmental advantages of bio-succinic acid and derived products;
deliver business models to allow production at full industrial capacity;
ensure wide visibility of the results and engage with stakeholders and other projects to maximise exploitation.

LUCRA is expected to:

unlock sustainable and circular bio-based feedstock value chains for the chemical industry;
diversify the EU-produced bio-based chemical portfolio, including through the development of three products: bio-succinic acid (which can be used as an intermediate or directly, for example in cosmetics), polyurethane dispersions and resins;
boost the sustainability and competitiveness of the European chemical industry;
improve the sustainability of bio-based processes and value chains by generating lower emissions than existing bio-based (and fossil-based) chemical production methods and setting out a pathway towards carbon neutrality;
support market uptake and enhance public awareness and acceptance of bio-based solutions.