Author: Bénédicte Julliard

Go for Grass online event – 22 October – Exploiting grassland potential in the EU Circular economy

Go for Grass online event – 22 October – Exploiting grassland potential in the EU Circular economy

Posted on by Bénédicte Julliard

Grassland and green shrubs cover 21% of the total surface of the EU-28 and as such are a key element of the regions landscape and biodiversity. Today, grass as a resource remains underutilised. It is often left to decay after mowing and thus causes costs and lost benefits for individuals and society.

At the occasion of the EU Green Week 2020, which aims to emphasise the contribution biodiversity can make to society and the economy, the GO-GRASS project will shed light on this overlooked potential during the online event ‘Go for Grass: exploiting grassland potential in the EU Circular economy’, that will take place on 22 October 2020.

This two-part online event, taking place from 10.00 to 12.00 CET and from 14.00 to 16.00 CET, will explore new business opportunities for rural areas arising from the exploitation of grassland and green fodder.

While the first session will demonstrate a range of innovative and cost-effective processes and technologies to transform grass into valuable bio-based products, the second session will afford stakeholders the opportunity to discuss various tools and resources that can foster the deployment of sustainable grassland management practices and circular business models across the EU.

The event will provide a chance for entrepreneurs, policy makers, rural networks and other European and local actors to discover a series of circular and sustainable grass-based business models with high replication potential. As such, it will offer a platform for stakeholders across Europe to present and discuss examples of circular, grass-based and integrated agro-food systems from different countries.

If you are curious to discover some of the magic recipes to transform grassland into golden nuggets and foster the deployment of the circular economy in rural areas, join our online event on 22 October !

To attend the event, please make sure to click on the button below to register, you will receive all the details to join the event per email after your registration.

For more information, do not hesitate to click here, or on the button above, to have a look at the detailed programme of this two-part online event series.

From date
2020-10-22
To date
2020-10-22
Supporting rural business success across Europe

Supporting rural business success across Europe

Posted on by Bénédicte Julliard

In rural areas, new business models are emerging to help address social and environmental challenges. For these initiatives to spread throughout Europe, the recipe for their success needs to be analysed and shared across countries. This is the role of the European project RUBIZMO, funded to identify the vital ingredients for developing rural entrepreneurship through the replication of successful business ideas.

On 24 October 2019, the RUBIZMO partnership will present its first tools and findings at the conference ‘Supporting rural business success across Europe’, which will be hosted at the European Economic and Social Committee in Brussels.

This event will be the chance for policy-makers, industry representatives, networks, civil society groups and all interested stakeholders to discuss recommendations to foster the large-scale deployment of innovative business models that can support sustainable growth and job creation in European rural areas. Along with the vision for the present and future rural development policy framework, the conference will explore current opportunities to develop supportive rural business environments and make collaboration the key to success for rural entrepreneurship.

As part of the conference, a dedicated Rural Business Innovation Awards and Exhibition will showcase and reward the most inspiring rural business initiatives identified by the RUBIZMO consortium in three fast-growing sectors: food, bio-based value chains, and ecosystem services. The vote is open to the public, and will close on 22 October at midnight. Winners in each category will be announced at the conference.  Have a look at the nominees and tell us which initiative you find the most inspiring for European rural areas !

Join the movement to shape the future of modern rural development and vote for your favourite rural business initiative!

Discover the agenda and register to join us in Brussels

 

Participation in the event is free of charge, however, please note that registration is required. Click on the following link to register. For your information, an ID card or a passport will be required to enter the building.

CONTACT

Bénédicte Julliard, Project Manager, Greenovate! Europe

From date
2019-10-24
To date
2019-10-24
Promising opportunities for circular agro-food industries

Promising opportunities for circular agro-food industries

Posted on by Bénédicte Julliard

Education, training and awareness raising were identified as key factors to unlock the potential of 62 million tonnes of agricultural residues available annually in Europe during a policy conference organised by eco-innovation expert group Greenovate! Europe, where innovative examples of circular economy in the agro-food sector were presented.

Rural areas cover more than 50% of Europe’s surface, and provide food and natural resources to millions of European citizens each day. Most of these resources are currently supplied to cities, but how can we move towards a more circular economy, and return to rural areas the benefits they bring to society? Whilst a traditional industry, the agro-food sector can benefit from opportunities arising from the development of circular business practices. In that sense, new business models are emerging across the world to address climate challenges and contribute to the revitalisation of rural areas.

These topics were discussed at the conference “Towards a circular agro-food industry” on 4 April 2019 in Brussels, which identified solutions to deploy circular agro-food systems across Europe. The conference, which was also the final event of the EU-funded BIOrescue project, brought together over 80 participants, including policy makers and industry players, as well as key representatives from research institutions.

Good practices from the agro-food sector

As an inspiration for participants, the event presented best practices from the agro-food sector in the adoption of circular business models, including the case of Monaghan Mushrooms, technical coordinator of the BIOrescue project, as well as replicable business models collected across Europe by the RUBIZMO project. Several innovative examples from the agro-food sector were featured, covering:

  • A novel biorefinery concept to transform used mushroom compost and other underutilised agricultural residues into bio-based products, developed within the BIOrescue project;
  • A Spanish cooperative Oleicola el Tejar, using olive pomace to produce local renewable energy;
  • A biomass boiler using miscanthus and flax waste installed by Stephan Henry, a rural entrepreneur based in Belgium.

“European research projects like BIOrescue can provide new solutions to create added value from what is currently considered as waste in the agro-food industry”, Inés del Campo, Senior R&D Engineer at the National Renewable Energy Centre of Spain (CENER), and coordinator of the BIOrescue project, said at the event. “Not only will the concept create new revenue streams for farmers, but thanks to its circular approach, it also provides the agro-food sector with sustainable products that can be produced and used locally, as a replacement to fossil-based alternatives, such as microscopic and biodegradable polymer capsules for targeted drug delivery, and biopesticides.”

Recommendations for policy

Highlighting the benefits of circular economy for rural areas, participants also discussed the barriers faced by agro-food businesses in the adoption of circular business practices. The BIOrescue project presented and debated a set of policy recommendations towards the development of a circular economy in European agriculture.

Investment in research initiatives, and especially public-private partnerships such as BIOrescue, is still needed to help connect the agro-food sector with the potential offered by the bio-based industry. In agro-food value chains, collaboration and training, as well as investments in infrastructures and logistics, will also offer strong incentives to the sector to close the loop towards more circular business practices. But for the circular economy to become a reality in the agro-food industry, a clear and cohesive policy framework with stronger integration of policy objectives across sectors, promoting a cascading use of biomass sources, will be key to create a level playing field for bio-based products, avoiding competition with bioenergy while considering their contribution to climate change mitigation.

You can find here the agenda, handouts and pictures from the event (Photography Simon Pugh).

 Presentations can be downloaded below, and the policy recommendations from the BIOrescue project are also accessible online.

Towards a circular agro-food industry

For more information, you can visit the BIOrescue website at www.biorescue.eu, read our latest publication, watch our project video, and access further project communication material in our Media Kit.

Press and media enquiries can be directed to b.julliard@greenovate-europe.eu +32 (0)2 00 10 07.

From date
2019-04-04
To date
2019-04-04
Biomass analysis: the key to success for your biorefinery process

Biomass analysis: the key to success for your biorefinery process

Posted on by Bénédicte Julliard

Bioeconomy is a new buzzword, but how can you get involved? Perhaps you have valuable biomass resources, but don’t know what they are made of and what they could be used for? Celignis Analytical is the partner you need for your project! Born from the successful research project (DIBANET) coordinated by the Carbolea Biomass Research Group at the University of Limerick, Celignis has subsequently been developing innovative methodologies to improve biomass analysis processes.

Celignis founder Dr. Daniel Hayes discovered that although feedstock composition was a critical factor for the success of biomass transformation processes, precise data was missing for a wide range of feedstocks. To address this issue, and avoid future problems in conversion processes, companies used to subcontract laboratories to chemically analyse biomass samples. This process is time consuming and expensive: taking approximately two weeks per sample, and costing hundreds of euros. Looking for solutions to improve this process, Celignis created a novel methodology for biomass analysis, modelling samples’ composition according to the results of a Near Infrared spectroscopy analysis. Their method uses infrared light to determine the presence and quantity of important constituents in biomass materials. Following the analysis of hundreds of samples of different feedstocks across the world, Celignis developed unique algorithms to predict with high accuracy and precision the composition of biomass samples. In that way, up to 13 different parameters, including type and amount of sugars, lignin and ash, can be analysed for various types of biomass. And this in only one day, for less than a hundred euros per sample.

This process has been instrumental in the successful development and implementation of the BIOrescue biorefinery process. First of all, to analyse and predict the composition of used mushroom compost samples. Using complementary chemical analysis when necessary, Celignis could determine the type and amounts of sugar, lignin and ash present in the compost. Secondly, the models were also used to select the most suitable combination of used mushroom compost and other agricultural residues that will safeguard the success of the biorefinery process. After running several tests with feedstocks from various European regions, Celignis experts found out that wheat straw, oat straw and barley straw were the most efficient to be combined with used mushroom compost to achieve a balanced composition of sugar and lignin for a productive biorefinery process. Based on this they determined precise balances of feedstocks to optimise process efficiency.

“In the transition towards a circular bioeconomy, we believe that accurate biomass analysis services are a key factor to unlock successful and profitable exploitation of sustainable biomass sources”, says Dr Hayes, “In that sense, we want to help companies reaching their full potential by providing them with precise data which will enable them to control each step of the biomass transformation process”. After mushroom compost, Celignis is looking forward to exploring new types of underutilised biomass and creating custom-made algorithms for rapid biomass analysis that will foster the development of innovative bio-based processes, and in the long run, the expansion of the bio-based industry across Europe.

For more information, you can visit the BIOrescue website at www.biorescue.eu, watch our project video, and access further project communication material in our Media Kit.

Press and media enquiries can be directed to b.julliard@greenovate-europe.eu +32 (0)2 00 10 07.

From date
2019-03-29
To date
2019-03-29
Towards a circular agro-food industry: join our policy conference in Brussels

Towards a circular agro-food industry: join our policy conference in Brussels

Posted on by Bénédicte Julliard

New opportunities for the uptake of circular business models in the agro-food industry are emerging across the world to address climate challenges and contribute to the revitalisation of rural areas. The BIOrescue project is one of them: through a circular biorefinery concept, the project is transforming waste from the agro-food industry into new bio-based products for agricultural uses.

On behalf of the BIOrescue consortium, Greenovate! Europe is pleased to invite you to the final project conference “Towards a circular agro-food industry”, that will be held on 4 April 2019, in Brussels (Thon Hotel EU, rue de la Loi 75). The event will discuss the upcoming and desired evolutions of the European policy framework towards the development of a circular bioeconomy in the agro-food industry. This will be the chance for policy-makers, industry and trade association representatives, civil society groups and all interested stakeholders to discover and debate existing opportunities to foster the adoption of circular business models in the European agro-food sector.

For more information, do not hesitate to have a look at the event’s agenda. Participation in the event is free of charge, however, the number of places is limited, so please make sure to register at the following link to save your seat.

Join our event to share your views and explore the circular business practices that will shape the agro-food industry of tomorrow!

From date
2019-04-04
To date
2019-04-04
From research to consumers: unlocking new value chains for sustainable bio-based products

From research to consumers: unlocking new value chains for sustainable bio-based products

Posted on by Bénédicte Julliard

Mainz, 1 March 2019

How would you know if the bio-based cup from which you are drinking your coffee is actually sustainable? The question of sustainable certification and branding for bio-based products, as well as key actions to be taken to support the expansion of the European bioeconomy, were at the centre of discussions during the workshop organised by the BIOrescue project on 28 February in Mainz. The event, hosted by the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, and organised in cooperation with Imperial College, with support from Greenovate! Europe and project coordinator CENER, brought together over 30 actors from bio-based value chains, including researchers, industry players, clusters and network representatives, as well as standardisation consultancies. Through presentations and open exchanges, participants outlined a set of principles and priorities to guide bio-based products and processes towards successful market uptake in the European Union.

Biomass sources are flourishing across Europe, making the bio-based industry a fruitful business to invest in for the future. Nevertheless, along the way towards sustainable bio-based value chains, the availability of suitable infrastructures is essential for developing and validating new processes. To that end, the Pilots4U initiative, introduced by Lieve Hoflack, Project Acquisition Manager at Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant, has created a free online database to help partners find open access pilot plants to test and improve their concepts.

As well as equipment, another key element to bring bio-based value chain actors closer together is industrial clustering and networking. As an example, the Cradle to Cradle school of thought in Germany, represented in the event by Nadine Kümmel, has created regional stakeholder groups to close the loop from research to market and make circular economy a reality in the country and beyond. For Frederik Wurm, Research group leader at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research and partner of the BIOrescue project, such networks help in bridging the gap between different sectors to develop new bio-based products: “Within BIOrescue for instance, we connected chemistry and agriculture by developing biodegradable nanocarriers from mushroom compost, a natural source of lignin. The capsules can be loaded with biopesticides or fertilisers, and thus return to the agro-food industry, but they also have a myriad of different uses in other sectors, such as pharmaceuticals or food enhancement”.

The bio-based economy has huge growth potential in Europe, with the packaging industry, for example, representing 40% of the global market, with only 2% of packaging currently made from renewable materials. But for this potential to be fully exploited, new bio-based products need to be market-oriented, as highlighted in the workshop by Athanassios Nikolakopoulos, Senior Researcher at the National Technical University of Athens and representative of the BIOPEN innovation platform. This means actors from the whole value chain, and especially consumers, must be involved in the design of new bio-based products, and made aware of their environmental benefits. To support this effort, the STAR4BBI project, presented during the workshop by Tatevik Babayan, Scientific Associate at Nova-Institute, prepared tailored recommendations to coordinate the development of a favourable and harmonised European standardisation framework for bio-based products, identifying current gaps and issues, such as waste regulations or competition in subsidies with biofuels.

In conclusion, workshop participants identified the need for a strong and common political vision at the European level as a critical factor to safeguard investment in the bioeconomy sector. In this regard, outcomes from the discussions will feed the policy recommendations to be developed by the BIOrescue project and presented at the project’s final conference, to be held on 4 April 2019 in Brussels.

You can find here the agenda, presentations and pictures from the event.

For more information, you can visit the BIOrescue website at www.biorescue.eu and watch our project video. If you would like to meet us, do not hesitate to have a look at the agenda of our final policy conference and click here to register.

Press and media enquiries can be directed to b.julliard@greenovate-europe.eu +32 (0)2 00 10 07.

From date
2019-02-28
To date
2019-02-28
Building sustainable value chains for the bio-based industry

Building sustainable value chains for the bio-based industry

Posted on by Bénédicte Julliard

From biomass production to commercialisation, multiple barriers need to be overcome for the market uptake of bio-based products in Europe. Within the BIOrescue project, partners have developed an innovative biorefinery concept to transform lignocellulosic biomass feedstock, including used mushroom compost, into novel bio-based products.

Looking towards the project’s end, the BIOrescue consortium is pleased to invite all interested stakeholders, including partners from other biorefinery projects, to join them in a dedicated workshop to be held in the morning of 28 February in Mainz, Germany, to discuss the challenges and opportunities arising from the exploitation of sustainable biomass sources in Europe for the commercialisation of new bio-based products.

To explore this topic, EU-funded projects and industry stakeholders will present the support measures implemented in terms of infrastructure development, standardisation and market uptake for bio-based products. In that sense, all participating partners will also be invited to pitch their concept and ideas for the development of the European bio-based industry and to present or discover inspirational examples of biorefinery projects at the occasion of the poster session organised during the coffee break.

Outcomes from the discussion will feed the BIOrescue project’s policy recommendations to support the development of a bio-based economy in the agro-food industry. These will be presented to a panel of policy makers at the project final event on 4 April 2019 in Brussels.

Join our workshop to exchange ideas and voice your opinion on the future of the European bio-based industry sector. Are you interested in pitching your biorefinery concept and / or presenting a poster to feed the discussions? You can indicate it in the registration form and seize this opportunity to network with your future partners. For more information, do not hesitate to have a look at the workshop agenda, and click here to register to the event.

From date
2019-02-28
To date
2019-02-28