As Rural BioReFarmeries reaches the six-month milestone, the consortium gathered in Aarhus, Denmark, for a General Assembly meeting on 21–22 May 2025 to reflect on the scientific and technical progress achieved so far. Hosted by the team of Aarhus University and attended by all project partners, the meeting provided a comprehensive overview of ongoing work across all eight Work Packages (WPs). Keep on reading to find out more about what’s been happening behind the scenes since the project started in December 2024.
“I’m proud to say we’re seeing a lot of great progress coming out of the project so far, especially in terms of integration between all work packages. In the next 6 months, we’ll continue pushing the boundaries of what we can produce from grasslands and explore how we can advance sustainable farming in Europe, while bringing farmers to the forefront of new opportunities to drive the bioeconomy.”
James Gaffey, Rural BioReFarmeries Project Coordinator
James Gaffey welcomes the Rural BioReFarmeries consortium for the General Assembly hosted by Aarhus University.
Our progress so far
WP1 – Sustainable Local Supply Chain Optimisation
Led by Aarhus University, WP1 focuses on building the foundational knowledge necessary to optimise local biomass supply chains. Key progress includes the development of four logistical scenarios and the initiation of stakeholder survey design. The survey aims to capture farmers’ perceptions of value chains, pricing models for grass, and ownership preferences regarding biomass returns. In parallel, coordination with farmB and other partners is advancing the design of transport and logistics modules. Preparations are also underway for field experiments to generate ground-truth data on biomass yield and quality to validate remote sensing.
WP2 – Rural Green Biorefineries
Progress under WP2, coordinated by Munster Technological University, has centred around characterising feedstocks and products using bench-scale research, and preparations for piloting and demonstration. Bench-scale feedstock and product characterisation began in Ireland and is scheduled to start in Denmark later this summer. This WP also involves a strong collaboration across the teams in charge of overseeing the demo sites; the Danish demo site in AU Viborg is already operational and producing samples, while Ireland’s pilot site at MTU is scheduled for implementation in Autumn 2025, with its demonstration set to fully launch in 2026. An intensive testing phase for a new Near Infrared (NIR) analyser has been initiated at the Danish site, supporting real-time quality assessments for freshly harvested grass.
WP3 – Bio-based Fibre and Packaging Development and Validation
WP3 has focused on adapting pulp processing technologies to meet the needs of novel fibre-based packaging. Wageningen University & Research and PaperFoam have advanced several experiments to test fibre extracted from grass. Improvements in washing processes, mechanical separation and hammer milling have been tested. Additionally, press cake and brown juice samples from Denmark were collected during the consortium’s visit to Aarhus to be further studied at the Dutch demo site. After initial testing an improved pilot scale algae reactor has been built by AlgaNed and will be used to test the cultivation of algae on site streams of grass raffinage.
WP4 – Production of Fatty Acids, Biogas and Nutrients from Brown Juice
This work package began early-stage assessments of anaerobic digestion and fermentation processes. The University of Galway and Poznań University of Technology received brown juice samples and commenced laboratory setups for Medium Chain Fatty Acid (MCFA) production, with transitions planned from batch to continuous fermentation systems. PUT also initiated a bioreactor system adapted for brown juice-based processing.
Researchers of MTU’s Circular Bioeconomy Research Group gather samples during fieldwork at Farm Zero C.
WP5 – High Value Food, Flavours and Antimicrobials Development and Validation
Although activities under WP5 are scheduled to officially begin at month 12, the team at Carbery have already started preliminary planning and coordination. Early delivery of white protein from the Danish site is anticipated to enable characterisation efforts in the coming months.
WP6 – Analysis of Environmental and Socio-Economic Performance
The teams from Unitelma Sapienza and Poznan University of Technology have successfully navigated their way through two key tasks in WP6: an in-depth literature review of sustainability assessment methodologies (particularly Life Cycle Assessment) applied to biorefinery processes; and early Techno-Economic Analysis, including process modelling in SuperPro and initial partner data collection.
WP7 – Business Models, Ecosystem Building, Training and Outreach
SEGES Innovation and Agricultural University of Plovdiv have made notable advances in ecosystem and network development. Preparatory work for training materials commenced, and stakeholder mapping was initiated alongside AUSTRALO, including the identification of potential ambassadors for green biorefinery replication efforts across rural Europe. Literature reviews on business models for small-scale biorefineries are ongoing, with data collection and analysis frameworks being finalised. From a Communication and Dissemination perspective, the AUSTRALO team have also reached several milestones, including: the launch of the project’s website and a dedicated RBRF Newsletter, opening a repository on Zenodo, and establishing a fast-growing online community of more than 800 followers across LinkedIn, X and BlueSky.
WP8 – Project Coordination and Management
The coordination team at MTU, supported by NuaFund, reported the submission of key deliverables, including the Project Management Plan, Risk Management Plan, and an initial KPI questionnaire. Advisory Board development is underway, with eight members already recruited. Project management structures are now fully operational, including monthly Executive Board meetings, financial guidance sessions, and continuous monitoring of partner activities.
Green biorefinery technology for processing fresh grass at AU Viborg, the demo site managed by Aarhus University’s Centre for Circular Bioeconomy.
Looking Ahead
The Aarhus General Assembly showcased the strong scientific and operational foundations laid during the project’s initial phase. With coordinated efforts across disciplines and institutions, Rural BioReFarmeries is well-positioned to accelerate innovation in decentralised, grass-based biorefining. The next General Assembly is scheduled for December 2025 in Rome, where partners will assess further developments and align on key milestones moving into 2026.
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