Category: Awareness raising

 Bio4Africa project

 Bio4Africa project

Project concluded

Diversifying revenue in rural Africa through circular, sustainable and replicable bio-based solutions and business models

Africa will need to feed over 2 billion people by 2050 while coping with unprecedented demographic, socio-economic, environmental, climatic and health transitions. Meanwhile, undernourishment is still on the rise, affecting almost 20% of its population now. Under this light, ensuring Africa’s food security becomes imperative, with the bioeconomy posed to play a leading role to this end. It is against this backdrop that BIO4AFRICA sets off to support the deployment of the bioeconomy in rural Africa via the development of bio-based solutions and value chains with a circular approach to drive the cascading use of local resources and diversify the income of farmers. Our focus is on transferring simple, small-scale and robust bio-based technologies adapted to local biomass, needs and contexts (green biorefinery, pyrolysis, hydrothermal carbonisation, briquetting, pelletising, bio-composites and bioplastics production). In doing so we aim at empowering farmers to sustainably produce a variety of higher value bio-based products and energy (animal feed, fertiliser, pollutant absorbents, construction materials, packaging, solid fuel for cooking and catalysts for biogas production), significantly improving the environmental, economic and social performance of their forage agri-food systems. To this end, we have set up 4 pilot cases with over 8 testing sites in Uganda, Ghana, Senegal and Ivory Coast, offering more than 300 farmers and farmer groups of all sizes (incl. small dairy and lower-income farmers, women farmer groups and transhumant pastoralists among others) the opportunity to test them in real productive conditions. Along the way, our balanced mix of 13 African and 12 EU partners will engage in solid multi-actor collaboration with rural communities and government, co-developing novel sustainable value chains driven by circular business models and supporting deployment in other areas, all while safeguarding agronomic, environmental, social and economic sustainability.

Contacts:

Knud Tybirk: kt@foodbiocluster.dk

website: https://www.bio4africa.eu/

BioRural project

BioRural project

This project ends on: 31/08/2025

Accelerating circular bio-based solutions integration in European rural areas

BioRural’s goal is to create a European Rural Bioeconomy Network to promote small-scale bio-based solutions in rural areas and support the transition towards a sustainable, regenerative, inclusive and just circular Bioeconomy across all Europe at local and regional scale. BioRural will achieve this through a three-pillar intervention scheme that feeds into a publicly available BioRural Toolkit that creates a wide network of collaborative stakeholders on a regional and European level; assesses the existing European rural Bioeconomy and captures grassroots-level needs and ideas for the adoption of biobased solutions; includes a range of small scale bio-based success stories; promotes effective exchange of knowledge and information through a series of workshops; holds a bioeconomy challenge for new practical bio-based solutions; and develops rural Business model blueprints for Bioeconomy businesses from conception to scale.

Contacts:

Thanos Balafoutis: a.balafoutis@certh.gr

Bas Paris: b.paris@certh.gr

Despoina Kampouridou: despoina@foodscalehub.com

website: www.biorural.eu

BeonNAT project

BeonNAT project

This project ends on: 30/06/2025

Innovative value chains from tree & shrub species grown in marginal lands as a source of biomass for bio-based industries

BeonNAT project proposes to use marginal lands in Europe (estimated 4.3 M km2 and 0.4M km2 of agricultural and forest marginal in EU-28, respectively) to obtain forest biomass for the production of 8 products based on new biobased value chains: essential oils, extracts, wood paper, particleboard, bioplastics, biochar, active carbon and absorbents. This way, BeonNAT will allow for the production of biodegradable bio-based products and bioactive compounds that will play an important role to replace fossil-based competing substitute products.

Contacts:

Luis Esteban (Coordinator): luis.esteban@ciemat.es

Iciar Serrano (Communication): iciar.serrano@contactica.es

website: https://beonnat.eu/

 LABPLAS project

 LABPLAS project

Project concluded

LAnd-Based solutions for PLAstics in the Sea

Plastic is pouring from land into our oceans at a rate of nearly 10 million tonnes a year. Once in the sea, plastics fragment into particles moving with the currents and ocean gyres before washing up on the coastline. The smaller the size the higher the risk posed by these particles to organisms and human health. EU-funded LABPLAS will develop new techniques and models for the quantification of small micro- and nano plastics (SMNP). Specifically, LABPLAS will determine reliable identification methods for more accurate assessment of the abundance, distribution, and toxicity determination of SMNP and associated chemicals in the environment. It will also develop practical computational tools to facilitate the mapping of plastic-impacted hotspots and promote scientifically sound plastic governance.

Contacts:

Cynthia Gómez (Project Manager) – cynthia.gomez@uvigo.gal

website: https://labplas.eu/

 BL2F project

 BL2F project

Project concluded

Black Liquor to Fuel

Aviation and shipping sectors are two areas of transport that are expected to grow at an incredibly fast rate, and so will their greenhouse gas emissions.

To tackle this challenge the BL2F project (Black Liquor to Fuel) will create a new, clean fuel to be used as an alternative to current fossil fuels.

BL2F is a Horizon 2020 project that will take the waste-stream of the pulp-and-paper industry, called Black Liquor, and create an end-to-end chain to produce a biofuel ready to be used in plane and ship engines. The process begins at the pulp mill, where Black Liquor will be converted into a biofuel intermediate using a novel integrated Hydrothermal Liquefaction (IHTL) concept. The biofuel intermediate will then be refined and upgraded to produce aviation and marine fuel. All the production steps in BL2F, will be optimised to make the process economically and technically feasible.

Led by Tampere University, the consortium consists of a mix of 12 partners which all bring in different resources and expertise to help ensure the project’s success. Employing the BL2F process can reduce waste, cost, greenhouse gas emissions, and contribute to a circular economy. Large-scale use of the processes and fuel developed by the project can be an important asset in the fight against climate change

Contact:

Prof. of Practice Tero Joronen
email: hello@bl2f.eu

website: https://www.bl2f.eu/

 BIO-PLASTICS EUROPE project

 BIO-PLASTICS EUROPE project

Project concluded

Developing and Implementing Sustainability-Based Solutions for Bio-Based Plastic Production and Use to Preserve Land and Sea Environmental Quality in Europe

The project BIO-PLASTICS EUROPE addresses the topic „Sustainable solutions for bio-based plastics on land and sea“ (Topic identifier: CE-BG-06-2019), within the focus area „Connecting economic and environmental gains – the Circular Econonmy (CE)“ and will focus on sustainability strategies and solutions for bio-based products to support the Plastics Strategy. This shall include innovative product design and business models facilitating efficient reuse and recycling strategies and solutions, including ensuring the safety of recycled materials when used for toys or packaging food stuffs. In line with the EU strategy on international cooperation in research and innovation and in order to encourage the further replication, the European consortium is complemented by a partner in Malaysia, providing an added value and helping them to address the many problems they face.

Contact:

Dr. Jelena Barbir
email: Jelena.barbir@haw-hamburg.de

website: https://www.bioplasticseurope.eu/

 OLEAF4VALUE project

 OLEAF4VALUE project

Project concluded

Olive leaf multi-product cascade based biorefinery

From an under-used biomass in the primary sector to tailormade solutions for high added value international market applications. The goal of OLEAF4VALUE is to set up the basis of six smart value chains based on a newly developed 4.0 concept: Smart Dynamic Multi-Valorisation-Route Biorefinery (SAMBIO) for the cascade valorisation of the olive leaf biomass according to its initial composition (Biomass Suitability Index – BSI). OLEAF4VALUE will give a new life to olive leaves, solving the problem of its removal from the fields while obtaining high added value bioactive compounds with high-market potential.

Contact:

Andrea León
email: andrea.leon@innovarum.es

website: https://oleaf4value.eu/

INDEPENDENT project

INDEPENDENT project

This project ends on: 31/12/2027

INDEPENDENT Integrated Biorefinery Concept for Bioeconomy Driven Development

The interest in generating renewable fuels from algae, has gained attraction for quite long time and pursued by both public and private entities. Yet, the pressure of budget cuts, global economic crisis and fluctuating oil prices have pushed back the progress of algal research and development efforts. Meanwhile, Europe is moving towards a bioeconomy driven future along with renewable fuel standards and requirements triggered by algal research. This is no coincidence as algal biomass offers several advantages such as efficient photosynthesis and CO2 capture mechanisms, no direct competition with food crops, non-arable land requirements, recyclable nutrients and wastewater utilization. However, in order to achieve commercially applicable rates of return on algal biofuels, numerous economical feasibility models suggest there is a need to generate value-added products within an integrated biorefinery concept. This requires targeting not only algal lipids as biodiesel feedstock, but also other biomolecules having higher value per dry biomass weight with potential applications such as food additives, health supplements, and pharmaceuticals.

A growing interest in designing biorefineries using algae species to produce several bio-commodity products also includes means of exploring their favorable greenhouse gas, water and land-use sustainability metrics. In this respect, key inputs include utilizing recycled nitrogen and phosphorus resources, tapping into existing CO2 emissions, and uncompromised water supplies. In addition, options to exploit residual biomass for additional bioenergy and biofertilizer applications for soil amendments are also considered auspicious for a more competent biorefinery platform.

This project is designed to build on all of these well thought contemplations to construct an integrated algal biorefinery that produces a portfolio of products that can be adjusted to meet market demands as a gateway into large scale production. Project site is carefully selected on Boğaziçi University’s Saritepe Campus, located on the coast of Black Sea with readily access to seawater. Emboldening on the interdisciplinary nature of the team, a non-destructive breakwater system will be designed to generate a coastal site suitable for macroalgae cultivation at open sea. Microalgae cultivation will be supported by recycled nutrients and waste CO2. Novel marine macro- and microalgae species will be pursued for pharmaceutical, human food and animal feed applications in addition to traditional biofuel functions. Digested algal biomass will be made available to organic farming activities on campus. A wind turbine operated year round will supply renewable energy to all operations on site allowing carbon-negative production. In addition to a full scale environmental life cycle assessment (e-LCA), a social life cycle assessment (s-LCA) will be conducted to assess the social and sociological aspects of algal biorefinery and its products, their actual and potential positive as well as negative impacts on the communities involved.

This large scale study with more than 110 wet tons of algae production per harvest period will provide key scientific findings and novel engineering pipelines to manufacture high-throughput multi-products on an algal biorefinery platform. The end result is expected to be advanced knowledge and practice for economically feasible and environmentally sustainable algal biorefinery with improved production metrics. Project team is comprised experts from universities, research institutes, SMEs, and large enterprises.

Contact:

Asst. Prof. Dr. Berat Haznedaroglu

(Project Coordinator)

Bogazici University

email: berat.haznedaroglu@boun.edu.tr

website: https://independent.boun.edu.tr/en/

 BIOSCHAMP project

 BIOSCHAMP project

Project concluded

BIOSCHAMP Biostimulant alternative casing for a sustainable and profitable mushroom industry

The BIOSCHAMP project aims to develop an integrated approach to tackle the mushroom cultivation challenges: an alternative and sustainable peat-free biostimulant casing for the mushroom industry, reducing the dependency on and need for pesticides and contributing to improve the productivity, the sustainability, and the profitability of the European mushroom sector.

The goal of the BIOSCHAMP project is to improve the mushroom sector industrial profitability while reducing the agronomical need for pesticides by 90 %. This will help mushroom growers meet consumer demands to find alternatives to fungicide dependence.

Contact:

Jaime Carrasco

email: j.carrasco@ctich.com

website: https://bioschamp.eu/

 COOPID project

 COOPID project

Project concluded

COOPeration of bioeconomy clusters for bio-based knowledge transfer via Innovative Dissemination techniques in the primary production sector

Bioeconomy starts on the fields, yet meaningful participation of the primary sector in the bioeconomy is currently challenged, especially due to:

  1. poor cooperation and knowledge transfer between relevant stakeholders,
  2. limited support to invest in R&D of new value chains.

To answer this challenge, the COOPID project proposes an effective strategy to mobilise primary producers and stimulate the uptake of inclusive and sustainable bio-based business models in the European primary production sector, considering regional & sectorial conditions.
To do so, a network of COOPID Bioeconomy Clusters from 10 European countries has been created ad-hoc, involving a range of stakeholders: (a) primary producers, in cooperatives or associations, within agriculture, forestry & aquaculture, (b) industry, (c) public sector, (d) research & academia.
We will foster the deployment of innovative bio-based business models in the primary production based on a four-level knowledge transfer approach:

  • Selecting “Success Story Showcases” across different EU countries among the network which will be visited in person by the participants from the network – “COOPID ambassadors”- (level 1),
  • Organising workshops to be done by the “COOPID ambassadors” for sharing main highlights of their visit to the “success story” among their peer primary producers (level 2),
  • Carrying out interactive dissemination & communication engaging other target audiences (levels 3&4).

Focus will be put on mobilisation of female and young producers as having a great potential to innovate yet being underrepresented in the primary production sector.
Recommendations for primary producers, policy-makers and academia & research will be elaborated, fostering better understanding of different perspectives on bioeconomy, having a significant impact on a wide bioeconomy deployment in primary production, reaching a broad audience (estimated at 9,500 stakeholders).

Contact:

Juan Sagarna

email: sagarna@agro-alimentarias.coop

website: https://coopid.eu/