About POST-PURPLE
Across Europe, more than 26,000 wastewater treatment plants and 5,800 municipal waste facilities process waste from hundreds of millions of citizens. Yet the sector remains a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions, including methane and nitrous oxide.
Although circular solutions such as biogas and bio-based products exist, scalable technologies that fully convert urban waste into high-value resources are still lacking.
POST-PURPLE addresses this gap by developing advanced bio-based technologies that transform gas, liquid and solid waste streams into valuable products, including microbial proteins, carotenoids, omega-3 fatty acids and green methanol. By capturing up to 95% of CO₂ and significantly reducing diffuse emissions, the project aims to make urban biorefineries cleaner, more circular and substantially more sustainable.
Project Data
- Call: HORIZON-CL6-2024-ZEROPOLLUTION-02
- Type of Action: HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions
- Grant Agreement: 101181162
- Duration: 48 months
- Partners: 15
- Full title: Prevention, correction, and valorisation of exhaust flows from urban photo biorefineries
- Cordis link
Turning industrial waste into climate-positive value.
POST-PURPLE transforms wastewater, biogas and biorefinery side-streams into resources reducing emissions, optimising energy and enabling data-driven circular industry.
Integrated technologies.
Measurable sustainability. Scalable industrial transformation.
CO2 and off-gas valorisation
Syngas production
Biochar for carbon storage
Heat recovery integration
Emission Reduction
Cleaner processes. Lower impact.
Reduced air pollutants
Lower water contamination
Climate impact mitigation
Heat recovery integration
Digital & Circular Intelligence
Smart optimisation through simulation.
We develop Digital Twins and a Decision Support System to model, optimise and validate sustainability performance before implementation.
Real-time simulation
Scenario testing
Circularity assessment
Data-driven investment support
Our Approach:
POST-PURPLE implements a circular, iterative approach inspired by the Deming Cycle to advance urban biorefinery technologies. The methodology is structured into three main phases:
Analyse
Identify key challenges in wastewater and urban waste treatment. Reduce contaminants and discover new valuable compounds.
Develop
Tackle technical barriers, cut emissions, ensure safety, and create zero-waste, market-ready solutions.
Simulate & Scale
Test innovations in real-time simulations and operational plants. Digital tools guarantee the impact and viability of our urban biorefinery solutions.
Collaboration across Europe
POST-PURPLE brings together 15 Partners from 9 different countries including actors from academia and research, industry and technology providers and public and network organisations.