The COUPLED project (CO₂ Utilization Process via Looping tEchnology Demonstration) has officially kicked off, marking the start of a major European effort to advance sustainable fuel production and decarbonize heavy industry.
Funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme, COUPLED brings together 15 partners from 7 countries to demonstrate an integrated CO₂-to-fuel process combining chemical looping, advanced membrane-based CO₂ separation, and Fischer–Tropsch synthesis. The project aims to convert captured CO₂ into sustainable fuels, supporting the transition toward a more circular and climate-neutral European economy.
The kick-off meeting was held on 19 November 2025 in Manchester, hosted by the project coordinator, The University of Manchester. The meeting officially launched the collaboration and set the technical and organisational foundations for the next four years of joint work.
Over the course of the project, partners will collaborate to:
Demonstrate an integrated CO₂-to-fuel process at pilot scale
Advance innovative CO₂ separation and conversion technologies
Assess environmental and socio-economic impacts
Foster knowledge transfer and support market uptake
ZEFIRA is proud to be part of this ambitious consortium. The company was represented at the kick-off meeting by its CEO, Camel Makhloufi, who actively contributed to discussions on the project’s initial technical steps, including the early design phase of ZEFIRA’s membrane-based CO₂ separation skid.
Participating in the COUPLED kick-off marks an important milestone for ZEFIRA, reinforcing its commitment to translating advanced membrane technologies into scalable industrial solutions for carbon utilization and clean fuel production.
