pHYBi is a 48-month action that will combine the soil phytoremediation concept with lignocellulosic biomass valorisation in an integrated phytomanagement circular economy approach. The pHYBi concept will focus its efforts across different levels of development (1) test, optimisation and validation of 4 phytomanagement case studies, (2) optimisation of biomass fractionation into lignocellulosic components based on organosolv techniques, and (3) characterisation and application of lignocellulosic fractions to create a well-planned market route for the potential end-applications in the textile industry. Furthermore, the project will develop a Virtual Replication Tool where phytomanagement, valorisation process and end-products will be integrated, resulting in guidelines, recommendations and thresholds for the replication of pHYBi’s case studies along other areas. To finalise the proposal concept, social innovation activities will strongly connect the process with the market and society with the aim to deliver high quality products with high level of acceptance. To achieve its goals, pHYBi brings together a multidisciplinary team integrating experts in plant and soil science (UBFC, UBU, UNIOVI, PHY), chemical engineering and biorefineries (CETIM), computational science (IDE), textile materials and products (NTT), agroindustry (PARTICULA, PHY, DIH-LEAF), and market analysis, knowledge exchange and social innovation (SEZ).

HALO-TEX demonstrates a novel, sustainable, and circular bioproduct manufacturing system based on the biorefinery of salt-tolerant plant biomass. Cellulose-based yarns and fabrics with improved recyclability, bio-based additives, and composites are targeted towards high-pressure textile and biochemical industries. It addresses the European Green Deal objectives, the EU Circular Economy Action Plan, and the EU strategies regarding bioeconomy and circular textiles, amongst other policies and initiatives. HALO-TEX goes beyond the state-of-the-art by using underexploited feedstock in an innovative extraction, pretreatment, and separation process cascade for maximum resource valorization, and sustainable cost-effective manufacturing of multiple products. Consumer acceptance studies and comprehensive product information systems will be developed to overcome the social barriers related to the uptake of bioproducts. The textile industry has a tremendous negative environmental impact regarding primary raw material, freshwater and land use, emissions and pollution, and waste generation. HALO-TEX addresses these issues by using novel, secondary feedstocks grown in marginal land, developing circular biorefinery system with low energy and chemical input, and enhancing the sorting and recycling of materials and bioproducts. It will provide an innovative value chain and a sustainable model for bioproduct manufacturing to advance transitions towards a circular bioeconomy, increase the uptake of novel products, and foster socio-economic opportunities, especially in rural, vulnerable regions. The partners are skilled experts within their respective fields, and the project builds on previous Horizon projects. Located across Europe, the consortium provides a broad perspective on the related research areas and target industries while ensuring that the results and project’s benefits are widespread, reaching consumers and stakeholders across the value chains and beyond sector borders.

MOEBIOS is an application of the circular (bio)economy concept: the development of three value chains incorporating separate recycling streams for bioplastics (BP’s) to improve waste management efficiency throughout Europe. It is a systemic innovation: it will create linkages addressed at the different key stages of the whole chains to solve a hierarchical challenge, from the collection of the bioplastic waste (simulated streams), up to the upcycling and validation of the final recycled end-products (holistic and coordinated solution). The new value chain will imply sorting, conditioning and valorising three types of waste streams from the packaging, agriculture and textile industries into three end-products, targeting to reach at least the same quality and functionality than the original grades, while the end users’ acceptance will be assessed as well. As cornerstone targets for maximizing project’s impact, the upscaling of the recycling processes will: (1) be integrated in pilot plants on the premises of actual industrial recycling lines currently operating in waste management companies, not disrupting them, and reaching a final TRL = 6/7 or even beyond. (2) focus on bioplastics for which recycling processes are still not in place, excluding bio-based analogues (“drop-ins”): PLA and PLA blends, PHA and its blends, PBS and PEF, accordingly with the market. The use of PBAT will be assessed as well. A Multi-Actor Approach (MAA) and a transdisciplinary methodology will engage waste producers, waste managers, bio-based and (bio)plastics industry, public authorities, standardization agencies, citizens and media multipliers, creating a co-creation and co-ownership innovation environment of + 50 participants.