BBI JU 2014 call – Granted Projects
An important event
for Europe’s bioeconomy took place last week. The BBI JU 2015 call for
proposals was formally announced in Brussels at an info day on June 26. €200
million to attract projects that will build new value chains between sectors
like agro-food, chemicals and energy. €200 million to go on releasing the
potential of the bioeconomy in Europe.
This announcement
come days after the BBI JU had signed the 10 grant agreements of the BBI JU
2014 call. This first round included support for the development of biorefining
technologies to sustainably transform renewable natural resources into
bio-based products, materials and fuels. The call resulted in the submission of
38 proposals, of which 10 received grants. The total BBI JU contribution for
these 10 projects is almost € 50 million with an additional industry
contribution of over € 70 million. Next, the first information about these new
projects available in CORDIS is
compiled and summarized.
RESEARCH AND INNOVATION ACTIONS (RIAs)
Seven grant
agreements have been signed for Research and Innovation projects. Research and
innovation actions are industry-driven and aim at filling the gaps in technological
innovations at particular points of a value chain.
1. US4GREENCHEM
Title: Combined
Ultrasonic and Enzyme treatment of Lignocellulosic Feedstock as Substrate for
Sugar Based Biotechnological Applications
Total cost: € 3,803,925 / EU contribution:
€ 3,457,602.5
Objective and key points
US4GREENCHEM aims
to design a biorefinery concept for the complete valorization of
lignocellulosic biomass that is energy and cost efficient and based solely on
green technologies. The concept combines mechanical pretreatment of the
substrate with the aid of ultrasound to overcome its recalcitrance and disrupt
inhibitors with mild CO2 hemicellulose degradation and with the
enzymatic recovery of sugars and technologies for the valorization of the
byproducts released in the process.
Coordinator: Verein zur Foerderung des Technologietransfers an der Hochschule
Bremerhaven EV (Germany).
Participants: Universita degli Studi di Torino (Italy), Weber Ultrasonics GmbH
(Germany), Enviromental Systems GmbH (Germany), Teknologian Tutkimuskeskus VTT
Oy (Finland), UAB Biocentras
(Lithuania), Latvijas Vasts Kimijas Instituts (Latvia), Feyecon Development
& Implementation BV (Netherlands), Fundación Tecnalia Research &
Innovation (Spain), Jowat AG (Germany).
2. PROVIDES
Title: PROcesses
for Value added fibres by Innovative Deep Eutectic Solvents
Total cost: € 2,175,093.5 / EU contribution:
€ 1,079,551
Objective and key points
The main objective
of the PROVIDES project is to develop a new, sustainable and
techno-economically feasible pulping technology for wood and agro-based
lignocellulose raw materials based on deep eutectic solvents (DES), a new class
of natural solvents which have the ability to dissolve and thus mildly
fractionate lignin, hemicellulose and cellulose at low temperature and
atmospheric pressure for further processing into high added value materials and
chemicals.
Coordinator: Stichting Public Private Partnership Institute for Sustainable Process
Technology (Netherlands).
Participants: Sappi Netherlands Services BV (Netherlands), Van Houtum BV
(Netherlands), Voith Paper GmbH & Co. KG (Germany), Holmen Aktiebolag
(Sweden), Metsa Fibre Oy (Finland), Omya Intenational AG (Switzerland), Parenco
BV (Netherlands), Portucel SA (Portugal), Smurfit Kappa Nederland BV
(Netherlands), Stora Enso Oyj (Finland), UPM-Kymmene Oyj (Finland), Centre
Technique del Industrie des Papiers, Carton et Celluloses (France), Crown Van
Gelder NV (Netherlands), DS Smith Packaging Netherlands BV (Netherlands),
Buckman Laboratories NV (Belgium), Technische University Eindhoven
(Netherlands), Mondi AG (Austria), Zellstoff Poels AG (Austria), Mayr-Melnhof
Eerbeek BV (Netherlands), Eksa Graphic Board BV (Netherlands), Teknologian
Tutkimuskeskus VTT Oy (Finland).
3. SmartLi
Title: Smart
Technologies for the Conversion of Industrial Lignins into Sustainable
Materials
Total cost: € 2,407,461.25 / EU contribution: € 1,481,257.5
Objective and key points
SmartLi aims at
developing technologies for using technical lignins as raw materials for
biomaterials and demonstrating their industrial feasibility. The technical
lignins included in the study are kraft lignins, lignosulphonates and bleaching
effluents, representing all types of abundant lignin sources. Pretreatments
will be developed to reduce their sulphur content and odour and provide
constant quality. PU, PF and epoxy resins will be among the target
products. Full LCA, including a dynamic process, will support the study.
Coordinator: Finnish Bioeconomy Cluster FIBIC Oy (Finland).
Participants: Tecnaro Gesellschaft zur Industriellen Anwendung Nachwachsender
Rohstoffe GmbH (Germany), AEP Polymers SRL (Italy), Fraunhofer Gesellschaft zur
Forderung der Angewandten Forschung EV (Germany), Vlaamse Instelling Voor
Tecnologisch Onderzoek NV (Belgium), Metsa Fibre Oy (Finland), Teknologian Tutkimuskeskus
VTT Oy (Finland), Sappi Netherlands Services BV (Netherlands), FORESA
Industrias Químicas del Noroeste SA (Spain), Kompetenzzentrum Holz GmbH
(Austria), Prefere Resins Finland Oy (Finland), Kotkamills Oy (Finland),
Andritz Oy (Finland).
4. GreenLight
Title: Cost
effective lignin-based carbon fibres for innovative light-weight applications
Total cost: € 2,600,087.5 / EU contribution: € 1,299,163
Objective and key points
The overall
objectives are to demonstrate a new biobased, renewable and economically viable
carbon fibre (CF) precursor – lignin – produced in Europe with European raw
material and to develop conditions for its processing into CF and structural CF
composites. The target is a cost-effective biobased CF for use in reinforced
composites delivering sufficient enough strength properties for large-volume
automotive applications.
Coordinator: Innventia ABS (Sweden).
Participants: Swerea Sicomp (Sweden), Sodra Skogsagarna Ekonomisk Forenings (Sweden),
Faserinstitut Bremen EV (Germany), Saechsisches Textilforschungsinstitut EV
(Germany), Fourne Machinenbau GmbH (Germany), Centro Ricerche FIAT SCpA,
Blatraden AB (Sweden), Netcomposites Limited (United Kingdom).
5. CARBOSURF
Title: New
processes for the fermentative production of glycolipid biosurfactants and
sialylated carbohydrates
Total cost: € 5,961,742.5 / EU contribution: € 2,730,605
Objective and key points
This project aims
to develop new processes and solve bottlenecks in the fermentative production
of biosurfactants (rhamnolipids, sophorolipids, xylolipids and
mannosylerythritol-lipids) and specialty carbohydrates (sialylated oligosaccharides,
a class of very complex human milk oligosaccharides). For both product lines,
microbial producer strains will be developed through metabolic engineering. The
fermentation process and down-stream processing will be developed and optimized
in order to obtain an industrial process. Second generation technology based on
lignocellulosic substrates will also be developed.
Coordinator: Universiteit Gent (Belgium).
Participants: Bio Base Europe Pilot
Plant VZW (Belgium), Fraunhofer Gesellschaft zur Forderung der Angewandten
Forschung EV (Germany), Vlaamse Instelling Voor Tecnologisch Onderzoek NV
(Belgium), IMD Natural Solutions GmbH (Germany), Compaigne Industrielle de la
Matiere Vegetal (France), Evonik Industries AG (Germany), Croda Europe Ltd (United
Kingdom), Inbiose NV (Belgium), Carbosynth Limited (United Kingdom), EOC
Belgium NV (Belgium).
6. PROMINENT
Title: Protein
Mining of Cereal side-streams Exploring Novel Technological Concepts
Total cost: € 3 103 897,5 / EU contribution: € 1 685 006
Objective and key points
The main aim of
PROMINENT is to develop techno-economically and environmentally viable
protein-based ingredients and foods from cereal processing side streams. It
will concentrate on novel fractionation and extraction technologies, such as
bioprocessing, supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2)-extraction,
thermo-mechanical technologies, wet and dry fractionation, and expanded bed
adsorption as well as their combinations as novel hybrid processing
technologies.
Coordinator: Teknologian Tutkimuskeskus VTT Oy (Finland).
Participants: Sudzucker AG (Germany), AB Enzymes GmbH (Germany), Upfront
Chromatography AS (Denmark), United Biscuits Limited (United Kingdom), Barilla
GeR Fratelli SpA (Italy), Olvi Oy (Finland), Food Companions BV (Netherlands).
7. NewFert
Title: Nutrient
recovery from biobased Waste for Fertilizer production
Total cost: € 2,419,740 / EU contribution: € 1,209,520.5
Objective and key points
Main objective of
the proposal is to build up a breakthrough concept of Fertiliser Industry,
strengthening European competitiveness and boosting the biobased economy
potential, through the development of a new value chain, which will achieve
turning solid and liquid residues, specifically ashes of different origins and
livestock effluents, into high quality valuable products, a new generation of
fertilisers. NewFert will focus on a viable and cost-effective industrial
nutrient recycling scheme, developing new biorefining technologies aimed at
increasing nutrient recovery ratios and mitigating environmental and
socio-economical impact of the current fertilisers by replacing non renewable
and fossil nutrients with biobased materials in their composition.
Coordinator: Fertiberia SA (Spain).
Participants: Universidad de León (Spain), Kompentenzzentrum Wasser Berlin
Gemeinnutzige GmbH (Germany), Drage & Mate International SL (Spain),
Institut National de Recherge en Sciences et Technologies pour l’environnement
et l’agriculture (France), Proman Management GmbH (Austria).
DEMO AND FLAGSHIP PROJECTS
Three grants are
for demonstration projects aimed at testing technologies.
8. PULP2VALUE (DEMO)
Title: Processing
Underutilised Low value sugarbeet Pulp into VALUE added products
Total cost: € 11,428,347.5 / EU contribution: € 6,589,180
Objective and key points
In order to
increase the value of sugar beet pulp (residual stream from the sugar beet
industry), PULP2VALUE will develop multiple extraction techniques to isolate
more valuable products from this large fraction. Roughly, 65% of the dry matter
mass can be isolated as high value products being: microcellulose fibers (MCF)
(33%), arabinose (16%) and galacturonic acid (16%). By demonstrating an
integrated and cost-effective cascading biorefinery system to refine sugar beet
pulp, the proposal aims to significantly increase (20-50 times) the value of
the sugar beet pulp by demonstrating applications for approximately 65% of its
mass in high value markets.
Coordinator: Koninklijke Cooperative Cosun UA (Netherlands).
Participants: Stichting Dienst Landbouwkundig Onderzoekn (Netherlands), Wageningen
University (Netherlands), Oreneo BVBA (Belgium), Nova-Institut fur Politische
und Okologische Innovation GmbH (Germany), Biobase Europe Pilot Plant VZW
(Belgium), Refresco Gerber Limited (United Kingdom).
9. ValChem (DEMO)
Title: Value
added Chemical building blocks and lignin from wood
Total cost: € 18,502,703.25 / EU contribution: € 13,125,940.15
Objective and key points
ValChem
demonstrates the technical and economic viability of sustainable and integrated
process from wood to a selected platform chemical and lignin based performance
chemicals. ValChem will demonstrate that this process can produce wood-based
chemicals that are competitive with identical or similar-in-application
products based on fossil raw materials in terms of quality and production cost.
Coordinator: UPM-Kymmene Oyj (Finland).
Participants: Sekab e-technology AB (Sweden), Metabolic Explorer SA (France), Technische
Universitaet Darmstadt (Germany).
10. FIRST2RUN (FLAGSHIP)
Title: Flagship
demonstration of an integrated biorefinery for dry crops sustainable
exploitation towards biobased materials production
Total cost: € 25,022,688.75/ EU contribution: € 16,995,882
Objective and key points
FIRST2RUN project
aims at demonstrating (TRL8) the techno, economical and environmental
sustainability at industrial scale of a first-of-kind value chain where low
input and underutilized oil crops (i.e. cardoon) grown in arid and/or marginal
lands and not in competition with food or feed, are exploited for the
extraction of vegetable oils to be further converted through chemical and
biotechnological processes into bio-monomers (mainly pelargonic and azelaic
acids) and esters that will be applied in the formulation of bioproducts
(biolubricants, cosmetics, bioplastics). By and co-products from the process
will be valorised both for energy, feed for animals and added value chemicals
productions in order to increase the sustainability of the value chain.
Coordinator: Novamont SpA (Italy).
Participants: Matrica SpA (Italy), Soliqz
BV (Netherlands), SIP Limited (United Kingdom), Biophil Central Europe SRO
(Slovakia), Alma Mater Studiorum – Univerita di Bologna (Italy).
