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8 million euros to develop a full artificial leaf

A-leaf | December 1, 2016

The A-LEAF project was awarded €8m by the European Commission. A-LEAF will develop transferrable technologies that will be a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels. The artificial leaf will combine the expertise of 13 institutions from 8 different countries, including leading industrial partner COVESTRO.

The main goal of the project is to achieve direct transformation of water and CO2 into oxygen and organic matter through the action of sunlight. The organic products will the be used as fuels, extracting their stored energy and emitting the original feedstock closing an environmentally neutral cycle.

With 8 million euros, A-LEAF is one of the biggest artificial photosynthesis projects ever funded by the European Commission. The project will kick-off next January and will last 48 months.

The project is coordinated by Prof. J.R. Galån-Mascarós, from the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ).