Category: Awareness raising

 Bioapp project

 Bioapp project

Posted on by Louis Ferrini
Project concluded

Overall Objective of the Project: 

The main objective of the project was to establish a new technology platform by strengthening cooperation between research organizations and key economic stakeholders to accelerate the development of pilot technology in the field of advanced biopolymers. The project has made a positive contribution to the specific objectives of the cross-border cooperation program, namely through the mentioned technological platform, which paves the way for innovative business initiatives and encourages the necessary exchange of knowledge, technology and innovation

Project summary: 

Global aquaculture and shellfish production currently produces over 10 million tonnes of biomass per year, generating a considerable amount of waste in the form of shells and exoskeletons. These abundant yet under-utilised renewable biomasses have enormous potential for the production of advanced materials (biopolymers), and fall within the scope of the Key Enabling Technologies and the key areas of the Smart Specialisation Strategies identified by the “New Materials, Green Chemistry and Health” program.
Numerous research institutes and companies are actively involved in various biopolymer product development stages; however, the synergies and technology transfer dynamics between them are still insufficient.

To overcome these obstacles, the BioApp project developed a new supra-regional technology platform and combined the complementary knowledge and skills of partners, with a vision to promote solutions, development and applicability of commercially interesting highly innovative biopolymers and biomaterials.

Through a regional cooperation effort involving complementary and interdisciplinary partners, ranging from the academic world (UNITS), to public and private research institutes (COBIK, KI), start-ups (BIOPOLife) and medium-sized companies (ACIES BIO), the project provided an integrated solution that uses natural resources to produce materials designed to improve people’s quality of life. All project partners benefit from the developed pilot technology for technology transfer, social and eco-innovation and strengthen links and synergies between companies, research and development centres and in the field of higher education. This trans-regional platform facilitates the integration of new stakeholders through the development of the technology and the commercialisation of the relative product, according to the “economy of closed material cycles” principle, as regards the new business models for a circular economy.

Contacts: Uros Novak, Coordinator: uros.novak@ki.si

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 BalticBiomass4Value project

 BalticBiomass4Value project

Posted on by Louis Ferrini
Project concluded

The Baltic Sea Region (BSR) holds a great potential for circular bioeconomy development. Therefore, the BalticBiomass4Value project aims to enhance capacity of public and private actors within the BSR to produce bioenergy in more environmentally sustainable and economically viable way by utilizing new biomass sources (chiefly, biological waste) for energy production, as well as possibilities to use bioenergy side streams for higher value bio-products. Biomass from different sources (agriculture, food and feed industry, forestry, wood industry, municipal waste and sewage sludge, fishery, algae), its logistics, various biomass conversion technologies and value chains will be mapped to identify best practices of bioenergy generation and the potential of more efficient and sustainable deployment of biomass in the BSR.

Seventeen partners from Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Germany, Poland, Sweden, Norway and the Russian Federation will bring together the producers of biomass and bio-based products, as well as relevant public authorities and policy stakeholders for the implementation of the project.

Contacts: Virginija Kargytė: virginija.kargyte@vdu.lt
Lena Huck: l.huck@fnr.de

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 AgriMax project

 AgriMax project

Posted on by Louis Ferrini
Project concluded

Objective

Approximately one third of all food produced globally is wasted every year throughout the whole value chain-from farmers to consumers. To extract the significant amounts of valuable compounds contained in these wastes, AgriMax will combine affordable and flexible processing technologies (ultrasound assisted and solvent extraction, filtration, thermal and enzymatic treatments) for the valorization of side streams from the horticultural culture and food processing industry to be used in a cooperative approach by local stakeholders.
Through the selection of case-scenarios previously developed to a pilot scale by the participating RTOs and their industrial transfer in new applications as food additives, packaging and agricultural materials among others, the project will disclose the holistic potential of four new agro-value chains (residues and by products from the culture and processing of tomato, cereals, olives, potato). Any by-product generated along the production cycle will be valorized in a cascade manner to reach over 40% of high value use of the waste. This will lead to additional production of active ingredients in lower concentration, but also fibres, biogas and fertilizers from the left biomass (the latter with the aim of being used in closed loop in the culture of the crops used in the project to prevent soil impoverishing). An LCA and LCC will also study the best approach to minimize the environmental impact of the new value chains without jeopardizing the cost effectiveness of the operations. The pilot multi-feedstock bio-refinery processes will be validated in two demonstration sites in Spain and Italy. Societal, ethical, safety, techno-feasibility and regulatory aspects will be studied. Last but not least, a business model and platform for communication between the potential raw materials suppliers will be set up to maximize the use of the cooperative treatment plants throughout the year.

Funding source: H2020 – Bio-based Industries Joint Technology Initiative (BBI-JTI)

Contacts: Albert Torres: albert.torres@iris.cat

Website

Cordis page

 AlpBioEco project

 AlpBioEco project

Posted on by Louis Ferrini
Project concluded

AlpBioEco is an EU project co-financed through the Interreg Alpine Space Programm and by the “Federal Transnational Cooperation Programme“ of the German Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community. The 13 project partners from 5 Alpine countries work together for an innovative sustainable development in the Alpine space. We focus on the potential of bioeconomy in the value chains of herbal foods and essences. In four working packages, we investigate current value chains for apples, walnuts and herbs, develop new products as well as new business models which will be tested in pilot studies. AlpBioEco contributes to the framework of conditions for innovation, resulting in eco-innovative business ideas and concepts for small and medium-sized enterprises in the Alpine region.
The European Union bioeconomy strategy addresses the production of renewable biological resources and their conversion into vital products. Expanding bioeconomy, particularly in rural areas, represents a major development potential. In the Alpine regions, this potential can however only be harnessed if the actors and municipalities cooperate closely and pursue shared objectives. The overall objective of AlpBioEco is to foster the sustainability of the local economy in the Alpine Space by the valorisation of innovative bioeconomical potentials. In our project we focus on bio-based food and botanical extract

Contacts: Anna Bäuerle: baeuerle@sigmaringen.de

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 Allthings.bioPRO project

 Allthings.bioPRO project

Posted on by Louis Ferrini
Project concluded

The context

Europe’s economy depends on oil and gas for energy and chemistry for all kinds of daily life products, but the use of fossil resources harms the environment and our climate. The bioeconomy offers a way out by providing industrial and consumer products made of biomass and waste.

This is a crucial moment for involving society in the transition to a more circular economy. Since all individuals, whether as citizens or consumers, will be affected, they should be able to play a role when shaping it. On the other hand, it goes without saying that the bio-based industry needs the input of citizens and consumers, to make sure that the products developed are in tune with consumers’ requirements and expectations.

In Allthings.bioPRO we put all emphasis on getting citizens involved in the bioeconomy and making their voices heard. We focused on issues and products, which connect with the daily life of citizens and consumers. Main themes were the creation of growth and jobs, Kids & School, Food Packaging and Fashion & Textiles. The personal viewpoint of a consumer considers quality, functionality and the costs of products but does also care about sustainable production and the environmental impact of daily life products.

Using a co-creation approach involving both citizens and experts, Allthings.bioPRO developed a serious game and a mobile app which serve as tools to raise awareness and educate about bioeconomy and bio-based products in a fun way. To ensure focus, we already decided on the subject of the serious game (Mission BioHero) but left the final creation of its content to the engagement process. The game is composed of 8 so-called campaigns, with each campaign focusing on a specific theme within the bioeconomy. It consists of quizzes, real-life and in-game tasks, a lexicon and mini-games with the goal to turn a fossil-based value chain into a bio-based one. The mobile app (Label BioHero) focuses uron non-food and non-energy bio-based products. It scans (eco-)labels, logos and EU certification schemes, providing information on the sustainable performance of the scanned bio-based/bio-degradable product. The serious game and mobile app can be downloaded free of charge in Google Play Stores and App Stores. Both applications generate data in anonymised form that can be used by stakeholders in the bio-based industry and provide important insights for policy.

Assuming that the bioeconomy is about the transition from a fossil-based economy to a sustainable bio-based economy we will start from the usual product case, which is often made from fossil-based materials. We developed both applications to support citizens in their change from a fossil-based lifestyle to a bio-based and sustainable one.

Contacts:

Martin Behrens, Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe e.V. (FNR): m.behrens@fnr.de

Jurjen Spekreijse, BTG Biomass Technology Group BV: spekreijse@btgworld.com

Website