The European Commission has allocated €7 million ($7.9 million) from its Horizon Europe program to the UNCOVER project, a four-year initiative launching in September 2026. The project brings together 19 partners from eight European countries to demonstrate six CO2 conversion technologies at three industrial sites: a biogas unit, a biomass boiler, and a cement clinker kiln. The goal is to turn captured CO2 into ten marketable products, including bio-methanol, microbial protein, and carbonated cementitious materials, reducing reliance on fossil-based feedstocks. UNCOVER projects that three large-scale conversion technologies will reach commercial deployment by 2032. By 2040, it estimates 31 units operating across Europe could generate €180 million in profits for technology developers while contributing to regional CO2 capture of up to 250 million metric tons by 2050. The consortium, led by the Instituto Tecnológico de Aragón (ITA), is focused on proving that CO2-derived products can compete on cost and performance with conventional alternatives.
