On July 8-9, 2025, Castellón de la Plana, Spain, hosted the 3rd General Assembly of the Fuels-C project (HORIZON-CL5-2023-D3-02). Fuels-C, short for "An integrated platform of novel cost and energy-efficient conversion technologies producing liquid and gaseous biofuels from sustainable biogenic residues validated from direct use in fuel cells", is a forward-thinking initiative aimed at increasing the availability of advanced biofuels for maritime and road transport. The 42-month project supports the EU’s pursuit of climate neutrality in the transport sector while also reducing the EU’s dependence on fossil fuels.
Fuels-C is co-funded by the EU’s Horizon Europe programme (Grant No. 101147442) and by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI, Project Ref. 10111560). Held at FACSA’s headquarters in Castellón de la Plana, Spain, the meeting brought together all 11 project partners to share key breakthroughs, strengthen collaboration, and advance sustainable energy solutions.
Integral to Fuels-C’s mission is the valorisation of sustainable biogenic residues, with wastewater treatment utilities identified as a key source of this feedstock. The General Assembly’s host, FACSA, a private company with 150 years of experience in the integral water cycle, brings significant expertise in managing over 260 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and a high level of experience in the anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge and other biogenic residues. This process is crucial for generating biogenic CO2 and other organic matter essential for Fuels-C's advanced biofuel production.
Driving innovation and knowledge sharing through collaborative partnerships
The meeting began with opening remarks from Dr Eduard Borràs, project coordinator from LEITAT Technological Center, who reflected on the project’s progress since its start just over a year ago and highlighted the importance of the work being conducted across all the project work packages. This was followed by presentations from each partner, showcasing their technical advancements achieved over the past six months.
The symposium showcased cutting-edge advancements in sustainable fuels and fuel cell systems, with a focus on the synergies between biofuel production, fuel integration, and low-carbon transport solutions
A key highlight of the meeting was the focus on maximising the project’s impact, with Isle Utilities (Isle) leading the Exploitation and Innovation Management activities. Represented by Victoria Westphalen and Dr. Beatriz Altamira Algarra, ISLE presented the progress made during the last 6 months on the identification of the main innovations as well as the strategies for knowledge valorization and further development of the innovations. They stressed the critical role of successful exploitation and management of Intellectual Property Rights in maximising the project’s long-term impact and viability of its innovations. They also shared the exploitable results with high market potential such as mapping tools, maritime and road transport fuel production technologies, and Fuel Cell use. Furthermore, it was emphasised that these activities are crucial in supporting the market intelligence and business strategy to ensure that the innovations developed within Fuels-C successfully reach the market.
Pathways to a sustainable energy future
The first Fuels-C symposium, “Pathways to a Sustainable Energy Future: Biofuel Innovations for Low-Carbon Transport” took place on 9 July at FACSA, and it was centred around the question “How do we turn promising research into practical, scalable solutions for Europe’s clean energy future?”. The symposium showcased cutting-edge advancements in sustainable fuels and fuel cell systems, with a focus on the synergies between biofuel production, fuel integration, and low-carbon transport solutions.
This event provided Fuels-C partners with the opportunity to connect with experts, explore innovative approaches, and contribute to the dialogue on accelerating the clean energy transitions, bridging the gap between laboratory research and real-world deployment.
Fuels-C Horizon Europe partner project, Flexby (Grant No. 101144144), short for “Innovative Microwave Pyrolysis for Advanced Biofuels” was also presented at the symposium. Flexby project focuses on producing sustainable biofuels from industrial sludge and microalgae grown in wastewater using an innovative and cost-efficient microwave-assisted pyrolysis process. Professor José Odriozola from the Universidad de Sevilla, leading Advanced Biofuel Production in Flexby, highlighted how integrated systems can support renewable energy and sustainable mobility.
The symposium concluded with an “Ask the Experts: Insights and Discussion” roundtable, moderated by Fuels-C project coordinator Dr Eduard Borràs and joined by Dr Néstor Aparicio Marín (Fetech Centre), Professor Francisco Fabregat Santiago (INAM-UJI), and Bernat Ibáñez Oliver, MBA (Autoridad Portuaria de Castellón). The session sparked a lively discussion on the challenges and opportunities in scaling clean energy innovations and how to effectively bring sustainable fuels into real-world transport systems.
What’s next?
As Fuels-C enters its second year, partners will continue working intensively to drive significant progress in advancing the project’s innovations and solutions. To boost innovation adoption, Isle will organise two Fuels-C Innovation workshops, designed to facilitate engagement with potential early adopters of the Fuels-C solutions, investors and policy makers, and to support the identification of potential opportunities and barriers for technologies to reach the market.
Dr. Blanca Antizar, Director at Isle, emphasized, “These initiatives underscore the crucial role of new collaborative partnerships in fostering knowledge sharing and accelerating the uptake of groundbreaking innovations. By creating opportunities for co-design and co-creation with key stakeholders, Fuels-C aims to ensure its solutions are not only technologically advanced but also truly tailored to real-world needs and market demands”.
Over the next year, a Fuels-C webinar as well as the first Fuels-C Innovation Workshop will take place, offering opportunities for engagement, feedback, and collaboration with key stakeholders.
Stay tuned to see how Fuels-C will enhance the availability of advanced biofuels and support the decarbonisation of the transport sector.
Isle’s role
Isle, a key partner in Fuels-C leading exploitation activities, extends its expertise in supporting market uptake of innovative solutions within the water-environment transition. Isle's role involves leveraging its extensive network and knowledge of the global water-environment ecosystem to connect emerging technologies with investors and drive go-to-market strategies for Fuels-C's innovations, thereby enhancing the project’s relevance within broader sustainability frameworks
About Fuels-C
Co-funded by Horizon Europe and the UKRI with a budget of €3.9 million, Fuels-C (EU Grant No. 101147442 | UKRI Project Ref. 10111560) advances the availability of two liquid, and two gaseous advanced biofuels produced from biogenic organic wastes and CO2 to be used in fuel cells for maritime and road transport. Coordinated by LEITAT (Spain), the consortium includes research institutes, universities, and industry partners across Europe.
Partners include LEITAT, VITO, CEA, Bluenergy Revolution (BER), Universitat de Girona (UdG), Universidad de Burgos (UBU), Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche (CNR), FACSA, Magellan Circle, and Isle Utilities.
