This project aims to develop new nanoporous carbonaceous materials from renewable resources like starch as a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels. The project receives funding from the European Union and involves nine partners across Europe. It seeks to refine the production process from research to an industrial pilot plant capable of producing 20kg per day of material for applications in energy storage, catalysis, and other industrial uses.

1. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme
under grant agreement No 686163. This publication reflects only the author’s views and the European Union is not
liable for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.
Development of new metal and metal-oxide doped nanoporous
carbonaceous materials from natural renewable resources

2. 2 | EU Horizon 2020 Project | POROUS4APP
“Fundamentally, this project is about replacing a fossil resource, with a more sustainable,
biorenewable alternative,” explains David Amantia, Principal Investigator for the project from
Leitat, Spain. “What is exciting, is that by bringing together the nine partners, we are able to
hone the technology from research level right through to a scaled-up production process for
industrial testing.”
Objectives of POROUS4APP

3. EU Horizon 2020 Project | POROUS4APP | 3
Usage of renewable resource
Fundamentally, the aim of the POROUS4APP
project is about replacing fossil (fuel) resources,
with more sustainable, biorenewable alternatives.
Currently we are using starch or pectin, which
can be sourced renewably from a wide variety
of plants and plant waste for this project. The
team is focusing on three sources: potato starch,
alginic acid and fruit pectin.
Environmental sustainability and
POROUS4APP
By using natural renewable resources we
advocate environmental sustainability. The use of
natural abundant renewable resources like starch
has been proven to be a low-cost and reliable
raw material source for industrial production of
carbonaceous materials that have porosity in the
nanometer range.
In this EU Horizon 2020 project, the partners aim
to produce not only carbonaceous nanoporous
materials but carbonaceous materials with
enhanced functionality by using impregnation
and sol/gel strategy.
This will allow POROUS4APP materials to reach
the challenging state-of-the-art requirements:
high added value materials at a lower cost for
varied applications. These applications need
materials with well-defined porosity to reach a
high efficiency level of their functional systems.
Application
The material can be applied to various industrial products.

4. 4 | EU Horizon 2020 Project | POROUS4APP
Research
Converting research technology to
industrial applications
As part of the Porous4App project, partners
from across the EU are working to scale up a
process for converting renewable plant-based
resources into a building block for energy storage
and chemical catalysis. The technology is honed
from research level right through to a scaled-up
production process for industrial testing.
One of the technologies being trialled through
this project is a highly-innovative process that
uses potato starch, alginic acid or fruit pectin.
The first step in our conversion uses expansion
technologies, then the material is stabilized before
converting it into a porous carbon material using
a furnace.
The resulting material will be adapted for different
uses, including: energy storage for electric
vehicles and as a green catalyst for the chemicals
industry. Using the porosity offered by nature,
a stable material is engineered with controlled
pores. By manipulating these and studying how
they interact with other materials, like metals,
the material performance is changed; ultimately
improving its effectiveness for different uses.
Over the past year, the parameters and
requirements for the end materials have been
agreed. Now, the partners are scaling up the
process from a lab scale to a pilot line capable
of producing up to 20 kg/day of the material
providing enough sample material for the industry
partners to test and analyse. If successful, one
of the project outcomes, will be a pilot-scale
production plant for producing this material.

5. EU Horizon 2020 Project | POROUS4APP | 5
Elements of POROUS4APP
The POROUS4APP project can be divided in 8 main blocks. Within these blocks one or more partners are
involved and exchange findings, expertise and knowledge among the different blocks.
6. NANO-SAFETY AND
ENVIRONMENTAL
EVALUATION
Environmental, health and
safety assessment of the
material during the life cycle
of its application.
Projectmanagement
Nanoporous carbon requirements
Dissemination&exploitation
Modelling&
porositycontrol
Usercases
demonstration
Nanoporous carbon
development
Industrial pilot line
Nano-safety and environmental evaluation
1
2
3
6
8
4
5
7
Pharmaceutical/
fine chemical-
catalysis
Biomass
conversion
Energy storage
devices
5. User cases demonstration
POROUS4APP partners will characterise and test
the materials in real application to demonstrate
the quality and performance of the product.
The user cases defined are:
7. Dissemination & exploitation
Creating public awareness; attracting potential
investors and end users; writing a business plan
including a market implementation strategy; and
managing the IP across the partners.
8. PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Coordinating the project among the partners and
reporting role towards European Commission on
project status, progress and cost.
1. Nanoporous carbon requirements
Defining end uses of the carbons and composites,
the criteria for assessment of their performance
in these end uses, and the materials and methods
used to prepare them.
4. MODELING & POROSITY CONTROL
Developing a multifaceted modelling tool
describing and optimizing the operation
mechanisms during the nanoporous carbon
development (Block 2).
2. Nanoporous carbon DEVELOPMENT
Development of optimized
processes for the controlled
synthesis of carbon-inorganic
hybrid materials at 0.2-1 kg scale.
3. industrial pilot line
Development of a pilot
line able to produce up to
20 kg/day of nanoporous
carbonaceous materials.

6. 6 | EU Horizon 2020 Project | POROUS4APP
Partners
Our partners have extensive experience in energy saving technology, materials research, energy
efficiency, renewable resources, energy storage and chemical catalyst. Participating in EU H2020
project helps us leverage the latest technological advancements to drive more innovation and
energy efficiency.
• LEITAT - Spain
• JOHNSON MATTHEY PLC. - United Kingdom
• CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE
SCIENTIFIQUE (CNRS) - France
• UNIVERSITY OF YORK - United Kingdom
• VARTA MICRO INNOVATION GMBH - Austria
• META Group S.R.L - Italy
• EIDGENOESSISCHE MATERIALPRUEFUNGS- UND
FORSCHUNGSANSTALT (EMPA) - Switzerland
• FUNDACIO PRIVADA INSTITUT CATALA
D’INVESTIGACIO QUIMICA (ICIQ) - Spain
• BIORENEWABLES DEVELOPMENT CENTRE - United
Kingdom
• SINGULAIR SOLUTIONS BV - Netherlands
• SOLUCIONES CATALITICAS IBERCAT SL - Spain

7. EU Horizon 2020 Project | POROUS4APP | 7
From research to commercialisation
POROUS4APP brings together nine partners, to develop the technology from research level right through
to a scaled-up production process for industrial testing. Each partner contributes their expertise to the
project across the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) framework.
Industrial Pilot Plant
Over the four year project, we aim to build a
pilot-scale production plant – capable of producing
up to 20 kg per day – in York, UK.
TRL4
Technology
validated in lab
• Homogenization
of polysaccharide
mixture
• Recycling of IL
• Hydrolytic and
anhydrous impreg-
nation of metal oxide
precursor
• Hydrolytic sol-gel of
metal / metal oxide
precursor
TRL5
Technology
validated
in relevant
environment
• Modelling of lithium
ion battery reactions
• Modelling of
heterogeneous
hydrogenation
catalysis
TRL6
Technology
demonstrated
in relevant
environment
• Gelatisation
• Filtration
• Drying
TRL7
System prototype
demonstration
in operational
environment
• Inert atmosphere
• Reductor atmosphere
• Hydrogenation
catalysis
• Lithium ion
electrodes
PORoUS4APP
PILOT PLANT
business plan, dissemination, ip
Gelatisation Carbonisation
Stabilisation
Nanosafety and safe by design approach

8. Leitat
Carrer de la Innovació, 2, 08225 Terrassa, Barcelona, Spain
+34 937 88 23 00
info@porous-4app.eu
Visit our website for more information:
www.porous-4app.eu
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This project has received funding from the European Union’s
Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant
agreement No 686163. This publication reflects only the author’s
views and the European Union is not liable for any use that may
be made of the information contained therein.