Brussels (December 19, 2019) - Implementing smart retrofitting frameworks in the process industry towards its operation with variable, biobased and circular feedstock.

The 26th and 27th November 2019 marked the official launch of RETROFEED, a project funded under the European Commission’s program Horizon 2020. The initial two-day meeting took place at the heart of Europe, Brussels, bringing together 18 ready-to-act partners with strong industrial expertise. The initiative’s ultimate goal is the implementation of smart pioneering retrofitting frameworks in the process industry by developing variable, biobased and circular solutions.


Coordinated by CIRCE Foundation, the Centre of Research for Energy Resources and Consumption based in Zaragoza (Spain), the multimillion project has officially set its starting date for the 1st November 2019, with a duration of 42 months, ending in April 2023. With a total budget amounting to €15.5 Million, €10 of which funded by the H2020 program, the call was promoted by SPIRE, the European association committed to manage and implement the SPIRE Public-Private Partnership.

“During the meeting, besides having a global vision of the whole project and receive the advices of the EC, partners had the opportunity to show the planning of the tasks and start to work in close collaboration in order to achieve all the ambitious goals.” (Ana Gonzalez, CIRCE Foundation – RETROFEED Coordinator)

The RETROFEED project

The project’s main objective is to enable the use of increasingly variable, bio-based and circular feedstock in process industries through retrofitting of core equipment. This activity foresees the implementation of an advanced monitoring and control system and the provision of support to the plant operators employing a DSS – decision support system, covering the production chain. A top priority is the development of a methodology to support retrofitting in the process industry, complemented by the DSS, that will able to perform diagnosis of the impact of different solutions. The demonstration will take place in five resource and energy-intensive sectors, namely ceramic, cement, aluminium, steel and agrochemical.

Five different approaches will be considered when performing the retrofitting activities: 1) the integration of feedstock mixtures of waste and/or by-products obtained within the plant; 2) the introduction of waste materials from outside the plant to complement the current furnace/reactor feedstock supply; 3) the use of bio-based sources as raw materials; 4) the combustion of bio-based fuels to reduce the current demand of fossil fuels; 5) the use of steel industry residues and other similar residues from other industrial sectors as alternative feedstock.

The project target aims at an increase of 22% in resource efficiency and 19% in energy efficiency, with subsequent reductions in costs and CO2 emissions. Moreover, from the very beginning of the project, the consortium will work on the definition of a clear and accurate exploitation plan, to achieve a successful replication of the developed solutions after the end of the action.

RETROFEED consortium partners

The consortium is multidisciplinary, well-balanced and gathers expertise from 10 different European countries, therefore satisfying the ability to guarantee wide dissemination of the project outcomes as well as to maximise the opportunities for replication of the solutions developed. Project partners boast, in fact, years of experience in European projects and the development of innovative industrial solutions.

The consortium consists of 4 RTD performers (Coordinator: CIRCE Foundation; AIMEN Technology Centre; Instytut Energetyki; Rina Consulting – Centro Sviluppo Materiali) that will focus on the characterisation and validation of the demo-sites and the development of the preliminary design of some solutions; 4 engineering and technology companies (Optit Srl; Odys Srl; Sistem Teknik Endüstriyel Fırınlar LTD; HTT ENGINEERING, Spol. S.r.o) in charge of the manufacturing and implementation of the RETROFEED solutions making use of the developments of the RTDs; 6 end-users (Torrecid SA; Secil-Companhia Geral de Cal e Cimento SA; Asas Aluminyum Sanayi Ve Ticaret AS; Ferriere Nord Spa; Fertiberia SA; Silcotub SA) that will act as data providers and support the development of the process by integrating the solutions developed in their facilities; and 4 horizontal partners (IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute; Energy Efficiency in Industrial Processes ASBL; Geonardo Environmental Technologies Ltd; Rina Consulting Spa) working in the area of results validation, project business exploitations, dissemination and knowledge transfer.

For more information

- Dr Ana Isabel Gonzalez Espinosa (CIRCE – Project Coordinator) aigonzalez(at)fcirce.es
- Dr Diego Redondo Taberner (CIRCE – Project Manager) dredondo(at)fcirce.es
- Ms Marianna Santavenere (EEIP – Communication and Dissemination) marianna.santavenere(at)ee-ip.org

This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 869939. The responsibility for the information and the views set out in this press release lies entirely with the authors. The European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.

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