BioRefineries Blog

Versión en Español Type of post: PROJECT PROFILE.  ReSolute, a new flagship project aiming to build a first-of-its-kind industrial plant for the production of a green, high-performing solvent (Cyrene) from wood biomass, has received a 11.6 M€ grant from BBI JU. With ReSolute, BBI JU is now supporting 124 projects with 717.6 M€ in total. Press release: “ New flagship biorefinery to receive €11.6 million BBI JU funding ”, 28/09/2020. Related posts: - “ BBI JU flagship projects - The new generation of European advanced biorefineries ”, 17/7/2017. - “ Circa demonstration plant produces first batch of Cyrene® biosolvent ”, 14/2/2019. Figure 1. Cyrene (Dihydrolevoglucosenone) is a biobased dipolar, aprotic alternative to common solvents that are of environmental concern   The ReSolute project is addressing the need for plant-based, higher-performing and safer chemicals in Europe. By converting wood biomass (mainly sawdust) into Cyrene (a novel, non-toxic and biodegradable solvent ...

Versión en Español Type of post: NEWS IN BRIEF. How much do you know about biobased products? What are your opinions, concerns and purchase habits? What is your point of view as a consumer? The Biobridges project has launch a survey to assess consumer knowledge of biobased products. With the results obtained, a set of recommendations on how to increase consumer awareness will be designed and sent to all interested actors. Fill the Biobridges survey on consumers' awareness on bio-based products . Figure 1. Biobridges project launches survey to assess consumer awareness about biobased products The survey is available in 9 different languages (English, Croatian, Estonian, German, Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Slovak, Spanish) and asks people to reply as a consumer, having in mind the choices made in their every-day lives. The questionnaire is a fundamental key to express your opinion and to discover more on biobased products. Your opinion will help to design rec...

Versión en Español Type of post: NEWS. Fortum and Metsä Group have joined forces to create ExpandFibre , a 50 M€  R&D programme with pulp fibre from renewable and sustainable sources (straw and wood) as its node. Press release: “ Fortum and Metsä Group to launch a joint EUR 50 million R&D programme in circular bioeconomy ”, 18/6/2020. Figure 1. Fortum and Metsä Group launch a joint R&D programme to convert pulp fibre into novel bioproducts (taken from ExpandFibre website and adapted) The R&D programme led by Fortum and Metsä has a total budget of 50 M€ out of which 20 M€ is funded by Business Finland . Fortum’s share is 32 M€ (12.8 M€ funding) and Metsä Group’s 18 M€ (7.2 M€ funding). It aims to develop ground-breaking technologies and smart business concepts to convert straw and wood pulp fibre into novel bioproducts, such as textile fibres. The scheme will be launched during the summer of 2020 and will end in August 2024. It is focused on sev...

Versión en Español Type of post: NEWS IN BRIEF. The project NEOSUCCESS has obtained funding from the EU Fast Track Innovation (FTI) program, starting in June 2020. It is aimed at making commercially available an efficient technology for simultaneously upgrading biogas and producing biobased succinic acid (bio-SA) through a unique complementary process. Figure 1. Scheme of the biogas upgrading reactor (taken from the patent WO/2014/188000) Biogas mainly contains methane (50-75%) and carbon dioxide (25-50%). For biogas to be used as fuel it must be upgraded removing unwanted gases, mainly CO 2 , but also other gas impurities. Upgrading of biogas to CH 4 content higher than 90% can not only increase the heating value, but also reduce corrosion caused by acid gas. The most common upgrading methods remove the impurities mechanically or chemically. The new NEOSUCCESS process, based on an innovative biological approach patented by DTU, (“ Methods for upgrading of a fu...

Versión en Español Type of post: RESEARCH NEWS. Coproduction of high-value bioproducts at biorefineries is a key factor in making biofuels more cost-competitive. Through synthetic biology, it is possible to produce valuable chemical compounds as biomass crops grow. Researchers at the Berkeley Lab have provided new insights into how bioproduct accumulation in planta affects biofuel selling prices. News (Berkeley Lab): “ Making Biofuels Cheaper by Putting Plants to Work ”, 6/4/2020. Article: “ Accumulation of high-value bioproducts in planta can improve the economics of advanced biofuels ”, PNAS April 14, 2020 117 (15) 8639-8648; first published March 27, 2020. Figure 1. Sorghum is a common bioenergy crop and was used in the study of the Berkeley Lab (Credit: Marilyn Sargent, Berkeley Lab) Cellulosic biofuels have so far not reached cost parity with conventional petroleum fuels. As highlighted in the news from the Berkeley Lab, one strategy to address this challeng...

Versión en Español Type of post: NEWS. The seventh and last BBI JU Call for proposals under the Horizon 2020 programme is now open until 3 September 2020, 17:00 CET. With an indicative budget of 102 M€, it covers 16 topics in four strategic orientations defined in the Strategic Innovation and Research Agenda of the European bio-based industries (SIRA): feedstock, process, products, and market uptake.   Press release: “ Over 100 million available for advancing European bio-based sector ”, 15/4/2020. More information available here: - BBI JU 2020 Call booklet . - BBI JU Virtual Info Day  (22/4/2020). Figure 1. BBI JU 2020 Call booklet cover Since its first call in 2014, the BBI JU portfolio has grown to 101 projects with nearly 1,200 beneficiaries from 36 countries and total funding of 600 M€. By mid-2020, another 23 projects from the 2019 Call will join in, raising the number of beneficiaries to almost 1,500 and the number of countries to 37. In this last ca...

Versión en Español Type of post: NEWS. Neste has acquired a minority stake in the German cleantech company Sunfire . In addition, both companies together with CEA , ENGIE and Paul Wurth will work together to demonstrate the production of renewable hydrogen at Neste’s Rotterdam biorefinery with Sunfire’s high-temperature electrolyser. Press releases: - “ Neste invests in Sunfire, leading technology developer of high-temperature electrolysis and Power-to-X solutions ”, 6/3/2020. - “ MULTIPLHY – Green hydrogen for renewable products refinery in Rotterdam ”, 11/3/2020. Figure 1. Neste has acquired a minority stake in the German cleantech company Sunfire (extracted from the press release) As part of its growth strategy, Neste is focused on innovation with the aim to develop the existing businesses and build new business platforms. One of these fields of innovation are the Power-to-X solutions (electricity conversion, energy storage and reconversion pathways that u...

Versión en Español Type of post: NEWS. The project Agrimax has launched a new online service which enables crop producers, food processers and agricultural cooperatives to sell their waste as feedstock for two pilot biorefineries: one in Spain and one in Italy. Press release: “ New online platform connects crops and food producers to biorefineries ”, 3/3/2020. Related post: “ AgriMax project – Harnessing the wastes of the European agro-food industry ”, 14/11/2016. Online service registration: http://agromax.iris.cat/#/login . Figure 1. Interface of the new online service In Europe, around 90 million tons of food and 700 million tons of crop are wasted every year. To tackle this growing problem, the EU-funded Agrimax project has designed and built two flexible, multi-feedstock biorefineries that convert residues and by-products from farming and food processing into high-value products which can be used in the food, packaging, chemical and agricultural sectors. ...

Versión en Español Type of post: RESEARCH NEWS. BioSTEAM (“Biorefinery Simulation and Techno-Economic Analysis Modules”), a new open-source simulation software package in Python developed by researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, gives scientists, engineers, biotechnology companies and funding agencies a fast, flexible tool to analyse the economics of producing different biofuels and bioproducts. Press release (EurekAlert!): “ Scientists develop open-source software to analyze economics of biofuels, bioproducts ”, 19/2/2020. Research article: “ BioSTEAM: A Fast and Flexible Platform for the Design, Simulation, and Techno-Economic Analysis of Biorefineries under Uncertainty ”, ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2020, 8, 8, 3302-3310. Publication Date: January 30, 2020. Figure 1. BioSTEAM (“ Biorefinery Simulation and Techno-Economic Analysis Modules”) The research work, leaded by PhD Candidate Yoel Cortes-Pena and his advisor Jeremy Guest (both rese...

Versión en Español Section: SMALL-SCALE BIOREFINERIES Type of post: PROJECT PROFILE. At the beginning of 2017, FACCE SURPLUS launched a joint call for transnational research projects focused on the small-scale biorefinery concepts and their potential role in enhancing the sustainability and productivity of EU agriculture, as well as their scope to benefit the rural economy. Just before the end of that year, eight projects were selected to receive funding under the framework of the call. The project FLEXIBI, aimed at designing e decision support tool assessing the different pathway for the establishment of small-scale biorefinery by evaluating all parameters accounting for the more sustainable solution, was one of them. Figure 1. FLEXIBI – Decision support for small-scale flexi-feed biorefineries Key data Title FLEXIBI (Decision Support for Small-scale Flexi-feed Biorefineries) Consortium The FLEXIBI consortium consists of six partn...

Versión en Español Type of post: NEWS. After 3 years of project development, the GreenProtein demonstration plant is ready and operative. This BBI JU project is aimed at producing high-added value, food-grade and fully functional proteins and other ingredients, out of vegetal residues (mainly, from sugar beet). Press release: “ GreenProtein General Assembly & DEMO Plant Part 2 ”, 30/10/2019. Figure 1. GreenProtein demo plant The project general assembly and the opening of the demo plant took place the 9th and 10th of October 2019. These were two significant events for the project and a big occasion to celebrate and share the progress. The host of the events was Royal Cosun , project coordinator. The main outcome of GreenProtein will be the transformation of 4,000 tons of agricultural residue yearly into a high-quality dried RuBisCO powder ready to enter into food industry production chains as an alternative of the widely extended egg white preparations or w...