Bio-waste is a key waste stream in Europe with a high potential for contributing to a more circular economy. The Tech4Biowaste project will pave the way for deployment of bio-waste technologies and technology configurations by setting-up a database providing a comprehensive technology overview (TRL4-9) for the valorisation of bio-waste (food waste and garden and park waste) into value added applications including chemicals, energy and fuels, food ingredients, and materials. The database content will be determined jointly with actors across the bio-waste value chain. Technology providers can showcase new and emerging technologies, even at lower TRL. Technology searchers can analyse and compare bio-waste valorisation technologies. Both categories of users can assess their commercialisation potential through the associated decision support tool. The Tech4Biowaste database will be composed of unique features based on the latest IT technologies, including artificial intelligence, and use of Open Source software. In order to catalyse significant database usage and future growth, it directly builds on the BBEPP-led Pilots4U network and links with the NOVA-led (parallel-developed) Renewable Carbon platform. A hybrid model will be used to populate the database, combining inputs from the consortium’s publishers’ team, a community of volunteers, and automated scripts and tools („bots"). Tech4Biowaste will mobilise stakeholders (incl. intended users and contributors) for direct involvement (Co-creation, Trainings 1 Testing Panel, 1 Advisory Board) e.g. in the design of the database, in the development of a continuation and expansion scenario and finally for the Business Plan targeting sustained growth and continuity of the open platform.

RoadToBio will deliver a roadmap that will specify the benefits for the chemical industry along the path towards a bioeconomy to meet the societal needs in 2030. The roadmap will contain the following two main components: (1) An analysis of the most promising opportunities (sweet spots) for the chemical industry to increase its bio-based portfolio, as well as the technological and commercial barriers and the hurdles in regulations and acceptance by society, governing bodies and the industry itself. (2) A strategy, action plan and engagement guide to overcome the existing and anticipated barriers and hurdles as mentioned above. Furthermore it will bring together different parts of chemical industry, society, and governing bodies, to start a dialogue and to create a platform where this action plan can unfold its full potential, in order to help meet the very ambitious targets of the BIC for 2030. The approach is based on three pillars, which are (a) analysis of status quo and potentials, (b) forward looking activities, (c) continuous feedback loops and interactions with stakeholders. The results will be wrapped up and phrased as a roadmap and an engagement guide describing the benefits and a way forward for the European Chemical Industry towards a more bio-based future. In order to derive a holistic roadmap that can lead the way, the analytical part of the project will consider feedstocks, technologies and markets as well as regulatory issues, societal needs, consumer questions and communication. The consortium partners bring in complementary expertise in relevant fields of the bioeconomy and chemical industry, covering in depth all aspects that need to be included in the roadmap. All partners have been or are still actively involved in successfully completed and ongoing FP7, H2020, and BBI projects on different aspects of the bioeconomy, as well as in several groups and committees working on political or standardization aspects of bio-based products.

This project will contribute at establishing a coherent, well-coordinated and favourable regulatory / standardization framework for supporting the development of a cutting edge bio-economy for Europe. More specifically, support to the standardization process for the concrete development of new value chains based on lignocellulosic feedstocks and biomass from forests, from agriculture and from organic waste will be provided. The main objective of the STAR4BBI project is promoting a level playing field for bio-based products. The focus of the project will be on finding practical ways to modify regulations in such a way that alternative wording, product specifications, and/or measuring methods will eliminate hurdles without compromising the initial objectives of the standard or regulation.

STAR4BBS is a three-year multidisciplinary and multi-actor collaborative project, involving seven partners, three associated partners and one linked third party. The overall aim of STAR4BBS is to maximize the potential of Sustainability Certification Schemes (SCS) and labels to support a successful transition to sustainable bio-based economy. At the core of the STAR4BBS project is the development of indicators and a new monitoring system for assessing the effectiveness and robustness of existing international and EU SCS, B2B labels, and related traceability systems applicable to biological feedstock and bio-based materials and products. This information will create the foundations to support achieving the much needed harmonization between schemes and transparency in global and EU trade flows. Through the developed new monitoring system, existing SCS and labels will be analyzed, and the results, as well as additional research on certified and uncertified trade flows and on the impacts and costs and benefits of certification and labels, will substantially increase understanding of the potential of these schemes to contribute to policy and industry sustainability goals and will build awareness of the differences between the schemes. The project will involve important stakeholders (including scheme owners, policy makers, and industry) in the design of research and the monitoring system and in the development of practical recommendations emerging from the research and analysis in order to ensure that the project achieves its ultimate goal. In particular, an increased uptake of the most effective SCS and labels by the bio-based industry will support the development of circular, climate-neutral, sustainable biobased systems that will mitigate climate change, increase resource efficiency, preserve and restore ecosystems, biodiversity, natural resources, and the quality of air, water and soil.

Sugar beet pulp (SBP) accounts for approx. 13 million tonnes in Europe and is a major residual stream from the sugar beet industry, which is currently valorised as low value feed and/or green gas. In order to increase the value of its side streams, PULP2VALUE developed multiple extraction techniques to isolate more valuable products from this large fraction of sugar beet pulp. Roughly 65% of the dry matter mass can be isolated as high value products being: microcellulose fibers (MCF) (33%), arabinose (16%) and galacturonic acid (16%). The overall objective of this project is to further establish the value chains based on MCF, arabinose (Ara) and galacturonic acid (GalA). By demonstrating an integrated and cost-effective cascading biorefinery system to refine sugar beet pulp, Cosun aims to significantly increase (20-50 times) the value of the sugar beet pulp by demonstrating applications for approximately 65% of its mass in high value markets. For each of these products PULP2VALUE identified multiple product market combinations (PMC’s). For the MCF fraction application supply chains towards detergents, personal care, oil & gas, paints & coatings and composites are developed. Throughout the years Cosun developed a pilot facility in which the state-of-the-art unit of operations were tested. Together with partners, Cosun is now planning to optimize, integrate and scale-up these processes to a demonstration scale to further supply product development in order to establish long lasting supply chains. The PULP2VALUE will target 9 new value chains resulting in a market potential of at least 350.000 tons and a potential revenue of 200 million euro. The PULP2VALUE makes available a mild and environmentally friendly biorefinery process for beet pulp compared to other biobased and fossil products. It will spur rural development in sugar beet growing districts by connecting them in new cross-sectoral value chains with the chemical and food industry.