The Rural BioReFarmeries (RBRF) consortium reunited in Aarhus, Denmark, on 21–22 May 2025 for the first official General Assembly (GA) since the project’s kick-off meeting in December 2024. Hosted by the team from Aarhus University at their AU Viborg campus, the two-day gathering brought together over 30 partner representatives from across Europe to reflect on early progress, strengthen collaboration and see the Danish green biorefinery demonstration site in action.
From field to biorefinery: Visit to the AU Viborg Demonstration Site
One of the highlights of the consortium’s trip was the field visit to Aarhus University’s green biorefinery demonstration platform, located in the rural setting of AU Viborg, known as “Denmark’s green campus”. Led by Morten Ambye-Jensen, Associate Professor and Head of the Centre for Circular Bioeconomy (CBIO), the visit offered an in-depth look at the biorefinery system developed by the CBIO team.
Set amid expansive green fields, the facility exemplifies the potential of local biomass processing to deliver both environmental and economic value. RBRF partners had the opportunity to observe the entire process, from the harvesting of grass through to its processing at the demo site, where the biomass is separated into three core components:
- Leaf Protein Concentrate (LPC): Rich in nutrients and protein, LPC is being explored for its applications in food and animal feed.
- Press Cake Fibre: A fibrous by-product with strong potential in the development of sustainable bio-based packaging.
- Brown Juice: The liquid fraction, which serves as a feedstock for the production of volatile fatty acids (VFAs), contributing to biogas and nutrient recovery.
This visit provided valuable context to the interdisciplinary research and innovation that defines the RBRF project, reinforcing the importance of field-based demonstration in validating lab-scale approaches. Also, in a bid to foster multidisciplinary and international collaboration, the CBIO team handed some samples to the partners from Wageningen University, to be further investigated and processed at the demo site in The Netherlands run by Rommie Van Der Weide, Senior Researcher at ACRRES.
Advancing research and innovation through collaboration: Highlights from the GA
Following the visit to the green biorefinery site, over the course of two days each Work Package (WP) leader presented updates on progress made during the first six months of the project, providing an insight into the evolving technical, environmental and socio-economic dimensions of Rural BioReFarmeries.
Work Package Updates Included:
- WP1 – Sustainable Local Supply Chain Optimisation: Focused on enabling efficient biomass collection and logistics to serve regional biorefineries.
Presented by Claus Grøn Sørensen (Aarhus University)
- WP2 – Rural Green Biorefineries: Highlighted progress in refining scalable models for rural biorefinery deployment.
Presented by James Gaffey (Munster Technological University) and Morten Ambye-Jensen (CBIO)
- WP3 – Bio-based Fibre and Packaging Development: Demonstrated early-stage validation of fibres for sustainable packaging solutions.
Presented by Rommie Van Der Weide and Matthew Booth (Wageningen University & Research)
- WP4 – VFA, Biogas and Nutrient Production: Explored biochemical conversion pathways for brown juice valorisation.
Presented by Corine Nzeteu and Luna Frank (University of Galway), and Amelia Zagórna (Poznan University of Technology)
- WP5 – High-Value Food, Flavours and Antimicrobials: Investigated the potential for novel, bioactive ingredients derived from biomass streams.
Presented by Aliabbas Saleh (Carbery) and Kevin O’Connor (University College Dublin)
- WP6 – Environmental and Socio-Economic Impact Assessment: Addressed sustainability metrics and regional development implications.
Presented by Eleonora Staffieri (Unitelma Sapienza) and Filip Brodowski (Poznan University of Technology)
- WP7 – Business Models, Ecosystem Building and Outreach: Emphasised stakeholder engagement, communication activities implemented so far and upcoming training activities.
Presented by Andreas Gravholt (SEGES Innovation) and Giulia Pastor (AUSTRALO)
- WP8 – Project Coordination and Management: Provided an overview of the project’s governance, risk management, and milestones.
Presented by James Gaffey (MTU), Leo Guilfoyle and Dolores Hannick (NuaFund)
Looking ahead…
The GA and demo site visit in Aarhus cemented the strong commitment of the RBRF consortium towards advancing circular bioeconomy solutions through a farm-centered green biorefinery model. With 19 partners working across 8 EU countries and over 10 disciplines, the project is on track to deliver innovative models for regional green biorefineries that valorise local biomass, reduce waste, and create new income opportunities for primary producers.
The RBRF consortium is expected to gather again in Rome in December 2025, where they will be welcomed by members of the Bioeconomy in Transition Research Group at Unitelma Sapienza.
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