EUROPEAN POWDER AND PROCESS TECHNOLOGY BVBA

Their core work

EPPT is a Belgian engineering SME specializing in powder handling, particle processing, and high-temperature process design. Their core competency lies in adapting industrial-scale particle technology to demanding thermal environments — specifically concentrated solar thermal systems where solid particles serve as both heat transfer medium and storage material. In both H2020 projects, they contributed process engineering expertise to the development of solar-heated reactors and particle-based receivers, translating laboratory concepts into pilot-scale industrial demonstrations. Their value in research consortia is bridging the gap between materials science and real-world process engineering.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

EPPT's earliest H2020 engagement (SOLPART, 2016–2019) was rooted in industrial chemistry: using concentrated solar heat to drive the production of reactive particulates — essentially solar-powered calcination and similar high-temperature reactions. Their second project (NEXT-CSP, 2016–2021) shifted the application toward energy systems: particle receivers, solar thermal electricity generation, and direct thermal storage within CSP plants. The trajectory moves from solar energy as a process heat source for chemical industry toward solar energy as a primary electricity generation and storage technology, while particle engineering remains the constant throughline.

EPPT is moving deeper into concentrated solar power infrastructure — from using solar heat for chemistry toward designing the particle-based receiver and storage systems that make CSP plants viable at scale, making them a relevant partner for next-generation solar thermal projects.

How they like to work

EPPT participates exclusively as a technical partner, never as project coordinator — consistent with a specialized SME that contributes a well-defined process engineering capability rather than managing broad research programs. Both projects placed them inside medium-to-large consortia (averaging 8 partners per project), suggesting they are comfortable in multi-partner RIA settings. Their profile is that of a reliable specialist contributor: brought in for specific powder and particle process expertise rather than for consortium leadership.

EPPT has built connections with 16 unique partners across 7 countries through just two projects, indicating they joined well-networked international consortia rather than working in tight bilateral arrangements. Their geographic reach spans multiple EU member states, though the specific country mix is not detailed in the available data.

What sets them apart

EPPT occupies a very specific niche: industrial powder and particle process engineering applied to high-temperature solar thermal systems. This combination — deep process engineering know-how plus solar thermal application experience — is rare among SMEs and makes them a precise fit for CSP consortia that need to move beyond lab-scale particle experiments. For a consortium coordinator building a solar thermal or industrial decarbonization project, EPPT offers credible pilot-scale process expertise without the overhead of a large research institute.

Highlights from their portfolio

• SOLPART
  Largest funding award for EPPT (EUR 194,976) and represents their foundational work connecting industrial particle chemistry with concentrated solar process heat.
• NEXT-CSP
  Longest project duration (2016–2021) and broadest technical scope — covering solar field design, particle receivers, heat transfer fluids, and pilot-scale demonstration — showing EPPT's range within solar thermal systems.