Rommie van der Weide is a Senior Researcher and Matthew Booth is a Bioprocess Technologist. They are both based at Wageningen University & Research (WUR) in the Netherlands and their involvement in Rural BioReFarmeries (RBRF) comes through their work at WUR’s Application Centre for Renewable Resources (ACRRES). In this interview, Rommie and Matthew tell us about how they’re experimenting with grass and algae to develop sustainable and circular bio-based solutions, and what drew them to join the RBRF project.
Hi Rommie and Matthew! Can you tell us a bit more about your academic and professional backgrounds, and how you’ve come to work together?
Rommie: I studied at Wageningen University, and I think that was a natural choice because I come from a farming family. My father also worked in science and renewable fuels, so I was always surrounded by both worlds. I first studied crop protection and worked in that field for a while, and then I joined ACRRES around 2010, and began focusing more on applied research and innovation for renewable energy and resources.
Matthew: I did a Master of Engineering Science at University of Oxford, and during that time I became fascinated by the idea that microorganisms could help us create alternative, greener and more circular products and industrial processes. After completing my EngD in Biochemical Engineering at UCL and working with a company called Algenuity, which develops alternative protein sources from microalgae, I moved to The Netherlands for a new job opportunity in the circular economy. Eventually, that led me to ACRRES at Wageningen, where I now work with algae cultivation and circular bioprocessing.
Was your intention always to apply your research in real-world settings like farming or industry?
Rommie: As a child, I thought I wanted to become a vet — an animal doctor — but eventually, I became more of a plant doctor instead! I always liked the idea of using scientific knowledge to help crops grow better. While I never planned to become a farmer myself, I really enjoy working closely with farmers and finding practical ways to apply research on the ground.
Matthew: Yes, I think it’s essential to make sure research can be applied. There’s no point in developing something in the lab if it can’t be used or scaled in the real world. That’s one of the things I really enjoy about our work at ACRRES — we don’t just do research for the sake of it. We work hands-on with companies and see how new technologies perform in real conditions.
Tell us more about ACRRES. What are the main research areas you’re involved in?
Rommie: ACRRES, which stands for the Application Centre for Renewable Resources, is part of Wageningen Research and brings together several scientific groups. What makes it special is that we not only conduct research but also run pilot installations and collaborate closely with companies. We even invite SMEs to set up their pilot projects on our site so that we can co-innovate together. My role as a senior researcher involves working with these businesses, identifying innovation needs, writing project proposals, and ensuring quality across the projects we run.
Matthew: I work as a bioprocess technologist. I support hands-on research and experimentation with companies and startups, particularly in the lab and pilot installations. I’m also starting to get more involved in project acquisition and helping shape new research directions.
Do you enjoy that duality — being both researchers and collaborators with SMEs?
Matthew: Absolutely. Like I said, I think it’s really important to test and scale ideas beyond the lab. That’s the only way to ensure that innovations are commercially viable and can actually make a difference.
Rommie: I agree. Most of us at ACRRES are motivated by a desire to make the world a better place. That means we want to see real-world results — not just scientific publications. So working directly with companies and helping innovations land is a very rewarding part of the job.
Let’s talk about your involvement in Rural BioReFarmeries. What is your role in the project?
Matthew: ACRRES has two main roles in the project. The first involves testing algae cultivation using liquid side streams from the grass biorefining process, such as green juice and brown juice. These side streams are rich in nutrients, and together with biotech startup AlgaNed we’re investigating the best conditions for algae to grow on them. My focus is mainly on this part.
The second role involves grass fibre processing, specifically exploring how to use those fibres in packaging. We’re working with a Dutch company called PaperFoam, which is looking to increase the fibre content in their packaging products. They’re a very forward-looking company, and they see this as a way to stay ahead of future European sustainability regulations.
Rommie: We’ve already worked with AlgaNed in the past — their installation is actually housed in our greenhouse. PaperFoam is a newer partner for us, although we’ve worked with grass fibres before with the paper industry. However, making packaging requires smaller volumes than making large-scale paper, which makes it more feasible to test and scale up with PaperFoam.
For me, this collaborative approach is one of the main appeals of Rural BioReFarmeries as a project.
Speaking of collaborations, as one of the partners running one of the demo sites involved in the project, how will you be working together with the other two based in Ireland and Denmark?
Rommie: Both the Irish and Danish demo sites will focus mainly on extracting protein from grass. We then take the remaining material (the residual biomass) and test how we can digest it further or extract fibres from it. We’ve done similar work before in the Netherlands, using low-protein grass from nature reserves. But by using material from Ireland and Denmark, we can test a broader spectrum of grass types and product outputs.
We also exchange side streams for algae testing. And if we digest any material ourselves, we’ll use that digestate as well to cultivate algae. So it’s very much a shared, cooperative effort across countries!
And what made you want to be involved in Rural BioReFarmeries?
Matthew: Professionally, I’ve worked a lot with algae, so I saw a clear opportunity to apply my knowledge. But also, here in the Netherlands, there’s a growing divide between rural stakeholders and urban centers.
I think this project has the potential to offer something meaningful to farmers — something sustainable, economically useful and practical. That’s a goal I really believe in.
Rommie: For me, I was excited by the opportunity to work closely with people I already know and respect in Denmark and Ireland, and also getting to know new partners from other countries in Europe. Because we’re such a highly multi-disciplinary consortium, I think we’ll learn a lot from each other. I’m also drawn to the potential impact of the project: improving sustainability, generating new products, and bringing research closer to implementation.
Why do you think now is the right time to be exploring sustainable solutions like grass fibre packaging and algae-based products?
Matthew: There’s a shift happening — away from linear models of “take, use, discard” and toward circular approaches. Bio-based solutions, like slow-release fertilizers or alternative proteins, are more sustainable and environmentally friendly. In the Netherlands, for example, we have serious issues with nitrogen emissions from artificial fertilizers. Algae-based products could provide a greener alternative, and there’s also growing demand for sustainable proteins as the global population increases. So the interest is definitely there, both scientifically and societally.
Rommie: There’s also a broader need for Europe to become more self-sufficient. We shouldn’t rely so much on imported soy, and we should move toward more environmentally friendly farming. These innovations can help us get there.
The technology to extract proteins from grass has really developed over the years, but for it to be economically viable, we need to extract more value from the process — and that means producing additional high-value products.
Finally, what would success look like for you at the end of the project?
Rommie: I’d love to see several tangible products made from grass — for example, packaging materials developed with PaperFoam, or a beautiful algae-based product derived from grass side streams that people can see, touch and use.
Matthew: For me, the dream would be to see a fully operational algae installation set up in a rural setting, working effectively and producing something useful. That would be a really meaningful output from the project.
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