The Bilateral Workshop of the Mi-Hy and CONFETI projects took place at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), on September 19th and 20th. This hybrid event, available both in person and online, brought together two leading initiatives from the European Innovation Council’s (EIC) ‘CO2 and Nitrogen Valorization and Management’ portfolio.
The workshop focused on promoting sustainable agricultural practices and energy solutions through innovative technologies. Both Mi-Hy and CONFETI are working on complementary approaches to CO2 and nitrogen valorization. Mi-Hy focuses on microbial hydroponics and circular sustainable electrobiosynthesis, while CONFETI specializes in the production of nitrogen-based fertilizers through CO2 and nitrogen capture using microbial fuel cells and solar energy.
The first day of the workshop featured in-depth presentations on each project’s core technologies, from urea production through microbial fuel cells to the development of new nitrate reduction processes. Participants also visited UAB’s advanced research facilities, including the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA-UAB) and the Institute of Microelectronics of Barcelona (IMB-CNM, CSIC), both key players in the advancement of sustainable technologies.
Day two continued with discussions on microbial populations for energy production and the latest in fuel cell architectures. Participants explored opportunities for future collaboration and shared lessons learned from the development phase of each project. In addition to scientific exchange, the workshop aimed to address critical policy strategies to support innovation in carbon and nitrogen management and facilitate the transition to more sustainable practices in agriculture and energy production.
This collaborative workshop aimed to build synergies between the two projects and develop actionable pathways to deploy these innovations on a larger scale. By combining the expertise of Mi-Hy and CONFETI, the event promises to make a significant contribution to the advancement of environmentally friendly technologies that address both the climate crisis and the global demand for more sustainable agricultural practices.
