Welcome to the new edition of our DARE2X interview series! In these brief chats, we introduce you to our project partners, exploring their roles in developing our innovative and decentralised ammonia (NH₃) technology. Discover how this DARE2X solution will be made safe and learn about its numerous benefits for society. This time we spoke with our partners at LOMARTOV! 

LOMARTOV is one of the key partners in a consortium of world-leading research institutions and innovative R&D-performing SMEs from different countries. Tell us a little bit about your group and research activities. Tell us a little bit about your group and research activities.
LOMARTOV is an Applied Innovation Engineering SME, based in Valencia, Spain, with a highly qualified and multidisciplinary team with vast expertise in a variety of domains, such as chemical & industrial engineering, material sciences, biotechnologies & bioengineering, environmental management, social sciences and humanities.

LOMARTOV’s team, working on DARE2X, has been contributing to the DARE2X project from its inception.

• Yamina Guidoum is the team manager ensuring the successful coordination and implementation of the work and researching the social acceptance work of DARE2X.
• Regarding the DARE2X exploitation activities,  Ioannis Spyropoulos and Carlos Blasco, sustainability technical officers, are supporting the development of market analysis and business model development.
• Jan Klenner is the sustainability technologist working on the techno-economic assessment of DARE2X technology and processes, as well as developing the roadmap for its standardisation and certification. These transversal activities are key for evaluating the performance and acceptability of the DARE2X project.
• Alba Lafarga is the sustainability and communication officer, responsible for the communication & dissemination activities to enhance awareness of the innovative and disruptive DARE2X technology. Together with the entire consortium, we aim to bring the DARE2X research and knowledge closer to all kinds of audiences, ultimately contributing to the exploitation pathway. 

Wanting to know more, could you provide more details about your organisation?
LOMARTOV guides and supports private companies and innovative projects to become more sustainable, mitigating and balancing their daily impact on our planet and resources, ensuring at the same time a safe and successful market uptake of innovative technologies, with a high impact potential for our economies and societies.

LOMARTOV uses well-established methodologies such as Life Cycle Assessment. The results are linked to the products and services, ensuring a safe and successful market uptake and business models.

As an active member of the EU research and innovation arena, LOMARTOV has expertise in sustainability assessment – environmental and economic – Social acceptability assessment and Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) implementation, study of the regulatory, standardisation and certification landscape, Market and business analysis, and effective Communication and Dissemination, including cluster building and running.

Following up, in your opinion, which aspects of your research in DARE2X are the most innovative?
Within the field of green ammonia and novel plasma-enhanced technologies, proving sustainability is a crucial step. It especially involves evaluating their technological, economic, and societal profiles. LOMARTOV is committed to providing guidance in these aspects while meeting the European research and innovation programme’s requirements, contributing thus to cross-cutting, renewable, and safe energy sources. 

Regarding the tasks related to exploitation and market watch activities, several innovative aspects are introduced. These include an exhaustive, continuous investigation of key actors related to the project’s key exploitable results (KERs), facilitated by cross-flow communication with the consortium partners to gather their insights. Additionally, illustrative roadmaps are developed to highlight key actors of the value chain. A collaborative workshop is conducted, where PESTEL and SWOT key factors are discussed with the consortium partners, identifying those most relevant. Those analyses are connected with the business model canvas.

Furthermore, the developed communication & dissemination strategy introduced innovative aspects introduces innovative aspects by identifying relevant synergies with other related initiatives. This includes organising roundtable workshops to engage stakeholders from the value chain, ensuring comprehensive discussions, and widespread dissemination of the project. This comprehensive approach allows the DARE2X project to remain innovative and aligned with market and societal needs.

One of the key pillars of implementing the DARE2X solution is to raise awareness about how our disruptive ammonia technology will be safe and sustainable. How will your contribution to DARE2X improve everyday life for society?
Through LOMARTOV’s cooperation with the consortium, several key activities are being undertaken to enhance DARE2X as an innovative solution for sustainable ammonia production.

Firstly, by evaluating the techno-economic feasibility and providing realistic cost estimates, DARE2X ensures that society invests in the most suitable technologies. This not only boosts economic well-being but also prevents the allocation of resources to unviable options. Secondly, the focus on social acceptability work ensures that DARE2X outcomes align with broader societal needs and expectations. By engaging with all relevant stakeholders, through the developed social acceptance guidelines and the communication & dissemination plan, the project effectively supports and promotes the adoption of technology.

Furthermore, developing the business model analysis, informed by the market analysis and the PESTEL and SWOT analyses, helps create a comprehensive communication, dissemination, and exploitation plan tailored to meet the needs of both the market and society.

Lastly, by developing the project’s roadmap for standardization and certification, compliance with exciting standards is ensured. This guarantees that the energy supply meets high safety and environmental requirements, ultimately benefiting society.

Finally, the R&D, innovation, and demonstration of the DARE2X technology involve significant efforts and hard work in the consortium. What are the main challenges in your work in DARE2X?
The successful adoption of DARE2X technology relies on studying technical, economic, and societal factors, and how they interact. Understanding how people and relevant stakeholders accept ammonia-based technology is complex. However, our ongoing research and all our efforts are focused on analysing the perceptions behind and securing the pathway of this novel technology as a green energy alternative.  

The ammonia market is broad and well-established, but the green ammonia market is still under development, attracting significant global interest. Thus, the main challenge in the exploitation task is to have a complete overview of the current and future state of play of ammonia and green ammonia markets. This includes predicting the most suitable solution for a successful DARE2X market deployment, ensuring no key aspects are overlooked, such as competitors, political, or legal aspects, and key factors related to technology, safety, and society.