On Friday, 31 October 2025, the LIFE CO₂toCH₄ project hosted its 3rd Monitoring Visit at the Lavrion Technological and Cultural Park in Athens. As we move through the final stages of the LIFE CO2toCH4 project, all partners had the opportunity to bring together the progress, results and exchange insights on the project’s innovative work for converting captured carbon dioxide CO₂ into renewable methane CH₄. Alongside with the LIFE Programme external monitoring team and representatives from CINEA – European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency.
The meeting was organised in two parts:
- Technical presentations showcasing the project’s progress and results
- An on-site tour and live demonstration of LIFE CO₂toCH₄’s mobile unit, which marked a clear step toward realising the vision of converting captured CO₂ into CH₄ through biological methanation.
Honored Guests from the CINEA and LIFE programme
We were honored to welcome Mrs. Sophia Papageorgiou, Expert of the LIFE External Monitoring Team, and Mr. Darek Urbaniak, Programme Coordination Manager, CINEA – European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency, who joined the project consortium for a full day of presentations, demonstrations, and discussions.
The LIFE Programme is the European Union’s flagship funding instrument for the environment and climate action. Since 1992, it has supported thousands of innovative projects that help protect nature, advance the green transition, and tackle the impacts of climate change. The programme is managed by CINEA – the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency – which oversees the implementation of LIFE and other EU programmes contributing to the European Green Deal.
Main session
The day opened with welcoming remarks from Dr. Apostolos Antoniadis, Project Coordinator at PPC Renewables (PPCR), who highlighted the project’s key milestones and the consortium’s collaborative efforts.
The agenda was covered through presentations by all partners, reflecting the full spectrum of the consortium. Below you may find the snapshots of the presentations according to the flow of the event.
Project Overview & Project Management by Dr. Savvina Psaltou PPCR
Construction of the optimised prototype pilot methanation unit / Operation of the Prototype System by Dr. Panagiotis Kougias ELGO DIMITRA. Dr Kougias highlighted the replicability prospects of the LIFE CO₂toCH₄ to biogas plants and the already expressed high interest in the project and project results.
Construction of the optimised prototype pilot methanation unit / Operation of the Prototype System by Prof. Laura Treu UNIPD. Her presentation highlighted the crucial role of microbial resource management in enhancing process efficiency and driving innovation within biotechnological systems.
Preparatory Actions by Dr. K. Kontogiannopoulos ELGO. Design of the mobile unit for hybrid energy Storage, and Test operation and optimization unit for hybrid energy storage by MSc. Alexandros Chatzis Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
Demonstration of the Living Labs by Dr. Apostolos Antoniadis Project Coordinator, PPC and Dr. Polina Asimakidou PPCR.
Evaluation of replicability and transferability and development of business models by MSc. Elena Partheniou PPCR and MSc. Stella Konstantinidi PPC.
Site Visit to the Mobile Unit
Demonstration of the Mobile Unit – Operation, Challenges, Impact & Final Remarks by Dr. Apostolos Antoniadis Project Coordinator PPC, Prof. Maria Loizidou NTUA and Dr. Panagiotis Kougias ELGO – DIMITRA.
Monitoring of the impact of the project actions and Networking Activities & Organization of events by Dr. Maria Kasidoni NTUA, School of Chemical Engineering.
Communication and dissemination of results by Project Manager Georgia Dimou NEVIS. Georgia presented on “Communication and Dissemination of Results,” highlighting the communication perspective of project’s progress, achievements, and impact across stakeholders and the wider community.
The Pilot Unit Tour
The highlight of the day was the site visit and live demonstration of the mobile pilot unit (in the picture guided by Dr. Panagiotis Kougias). Participants explored the unit’s operation, discussed technical perspectives, and witnessed the results of converting captured CO₂ into renewable CH₄. The demonstration showcased the project’s maturity and its contribution to a circular carbon economy, where emissions are not wasted but transformed into clean and usable energy.
Stay tuned for more updates and milestones from the LIFE CO₂toCH₄ project as it continues to advance innovative pathways for CO₂ valorisation and renewable methane production.
