The ProjectFrom grasslands to green bio-based products — forging a robust farm-centred bioeconomy in Europe.
The main objectives of Rural BioReFarmeries
- Develop a Smart Biomass Supply Chain (SBSC) tool using ICT technologies to improve the chain’s logistics, ensuring high-quality biomass delivery.
- Optimise a small-scale and decentralised green biorefinery system that can be replicated and implemented across grassland areas in Europe.
- Support farms in developing new revenue streams by collaborating with industry partners in their efforts to convert grass into green bio-based products, by testing and co-creating innovative farming business models.
- Foster more sustainable practices among grassland farmers that can also have positive socio-economic and environmental impacts.
- Scale up and replicate the proposed circular biorefinery models across the EU, implementing knowledge sharing activities with farmers through the Rural Green Biorefinery Network.
Our approach
Rural BioReFarmeries will build a highly replicable model for Europe’s abundant grasslands. How? By supporting farmers to tackle sustainability and profitability challenges, and helping rural communities to become more resilient through existing, local bioresources.
Sustainable Local Supply Chain Optimisation.
Designing highly optimised, efficient and costeffective local supply chains for multiple decentralized small-scale green biorefineries.
Production of Fatty Acids, Biogas and Nutrients.
Using the residual brown juice from biorefined grass to scale up the production of volatile and medium chain fatty acids (VFAs + MCFAs) along with biogas.
Rural Green Biorefineries.
Ensuring a feedstock-flexible green biorefinery approach, capable of processing local feedstock year-round with decentralized and centralized processing.
High Value Food, Flavours and Antimicrobials.
Testing the validation and suitability of white proteins derived from grass for the production of food, flavours and other bio-based products, while assessing regulatory requirements to bring them from the lab to the market.
Efficient Protein Extraction.
Optimising the use of protein from grass by extraction of white and green protein suitable for human or monogastric animal consumption, while also creating a pulp fibre suitable for ruminants.
Business models and Ecosystem building.
Establishing inclusive, sustainable and fair business models for farmers and cooperatives, and co-creating a training and outreach program to upskill and involve rural communities for the wider implementation of small-scale green biorefinery models.
Bio-based Fibre and Packaging Development and Validation.
Optimising the demo process to convert grass pulp into fibres that can be used for bio-based packaging materials and further prototypes.
Our Technologies and Solutions
- Toolkit for predictive biomass supply chain management and decentralized biorefinery routing and logistic optimization.
- Inclusion of a decentralised model to optimise the logistics of rural green biorefinery models ensuring that the farm remains at the core of the model.
- Inclusion of multi-feedstock green biorefinery approach to extend the operational viability of green biorefineries.
- Production of high value white protein and green protein for use in food ingredient and feed applications
- Producing grass-based fibres from biorefinery pulp suitable for bio-based packaging materials.
- Two-phase mixed culture anaerobic fermentation for the coproduction of VFAs, biogas and nutrients from brown juice residuer
- Medium chain fatty acids production via chain elongation.
- Development of prototype products for food and flavours, feed additive, and packaging sectors.
- Robust analysis of the environmental and socio-economic impacts, including biodiversity impact assessment of biorefinery demo sites.
Expected outcomes
- Sustainable, inclusive, and reliable rural bio-based value chains with fair economic returns at local (farm) level
- Improved circularity and resource efficiency via practical application of the circular (bio)economy
- Industrial competitiveness, strategic autonomy & resource independence of biobased value chains
- Contribute to additional, diversified incomes and generational renewal in rural areas, with the potential for a multiplier effect when replicated across the EU
- New skilled jobs opportunities and investments in the bio-based sectors in rural areas, particularly in regions with underdeveloped capacities, improved innovation capacities and product portfolio extension in primary production sectors and SME’s
- Significant reduction of land use and other climate and environmental benefits
- Efficient recycling of nutrients transportation and logistics costs reduction and overall enhanced circularity of nutrients cycles
- Social acceptance of circular bio-based solutions and products