In order to increase the viability and competitiveness of European coal tar distillation plants, it is essential that optimum use of coal-derived liquids is made. Attaining this goal implies finding ways for the revalorization of liquids that are currently of low value and are not used in high-end applications (e.g., creosotes, phenolic oils and rejects obtained from the purification of high value coal tar fractions). To address this issue, PROMOTEE has been created as a complex European project aiming at the development of novel porous carbon materials for energy and environmental applications using low value coal-derived liquids as the carbon precursors. The following specific objetives are sought after:

• To maximize the use of coal-derived liquids as novel carbon material precursors with a view to their revalorization
• To synthesize ordered mesoporous carbons via hard-templating from creosotes and rejects
• To produce new carbon gels via sol-gel routes from phenolic oils
• To understand the effect of coal tar-derived liquids on the characteristics of the carbon materials
• To evaluate the performance of these new carbon materials in energy and environmental applications
• To assess the feasibility of industrial applications of the porous carbons and compare them with commercial carbons PROMOTEE incorporates industrial participation from both ends of the value chain (coal tar distillers and porous carbon manufacturers) to ensure that a significant impact of the project results on relevant stakeholders is attained.