NEXT GENERATION, ZERO-WASTE, DYNAMIC, MULTIVALORIZATION ROUTE BIOREFINERY FOR SUSTAINABLE BOTANICAL INGREDIENTS:SHOWCASING A REPLICABLE AND VERSATILE MODEL FROM EXTREMADURA TO BIO-BASED INDUSTRY IN EU

Project Information

SUSTAINEXT

Grant agreement ID: 101112434

DOI

10.3030/101112434

EC signature date 5 May 2023

Start date 1 June 2023

End date 30 November 2027

Funded under

• Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment

Total cost

€ 22 406 558,75

EU contribution

€ 13 996 379,25

Coordinated by

NATAC BIOTECH SL
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - SUSTAINEXT (NEXT GENERATION, ZERO-WASTE, DYNAMIC, MULTIVALORIZATION ROUTE BIOREFINERY FOR SUSTAINABLE BOTANICAL INGREDIENTS:SHOWCASING A REPLICABLE AND VERSATILE MODEL FROM EXTREMADURA TO BIO-BASED INDUSTRY IN EU)

Reporting period: 2024-12-01 to 2026-05-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

SUSTAINEXT is the first FLAGSHIP project funded by the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU), aiming to revolutionize the botanical extracts industry with a replicable model for the European bio-based sector. It will transform an existing facility into a cutting-edge digitalized circular biorefinery focused on producing plant-based ingredients from local medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) and agricultural biomass.
Led by Natac and 20 European partners, SUSTAINEXT will deploy a smart, multi-product biorefinery, validating an innovative business model for the plant-based ingredient sector. It will introduce 46 innovative extracts, 13 entirely new to the market, and 12 newly produced in Europe.
The project’s goal is to turn Natac’s facility in Hervás (Extremadura) into a state-of-the-art, sustainable biorefinery, optimizing biomass use and striving for “zero waste” and “zero pollution.” This will significantly improve environmental performance, enhancing resource and energy efficiency while setting a benchmark for sustainability.
Extremadura, with its strong agro-industrial tradition, faces key challenges that SUSTAINEXT will address by establishing value chains for six raw materials—three agro-industrial biomasses (olive, artichoke, pomegranate) and three MAPs (rosemary, chamomile, lemon verbena)—boosting economic potential and promoting their use in plant-based ingredients. This will create new opportunities for farmers while encouraging sustainable agricultural practices.
SUSTAINEXT will also position MAP cultivation as a viable alternative to the region’s declining tobacco industry, ensuring economic stability through eco-friendly crops. Additionally, it will valorize underutilized agricultural biomass—6.8 million tons annually—by upcycling it into high-value ingredients, fostering a circular production model that minimizes waste.
To optimize land use, the project will integrate MAP cultivation with solar farms through an agrivoltaic model, combining renewable energy production with sustainable agriculture. This approach promotes environmental sustainability while maximizing land efficiency.
Through these innovations, SUSTAINEXT will drive the transition toward a circular economy, generating economic benefits while promoting efficient resource use, reducing emissions, and fostering rural sustainability.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During the first reporting period, SUSTAINEXT established the foundations of the project across the entire value chain. Medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) were successfully introduced into the target areas, pretreatment techniques for agro-industrial biomass were developed, and construction of the new biorefinery advanced through engineering design and infrastructure development. Initial bio-based extracts were characterised and incorporated into the first prototypes for food, feed, cosmetics and soil improvers. Methodologies for Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Life Cycle Cost Assessment (LCCA), Social LCA and regulatory compliance were established, while communication, dissemination and market analyses laid the basis for future exploitation.
During the second reporting period, the project reached a major milestone with the completion and start-up of the new multipurpose biorefinery, enabling the transition from pilot-scale development to industrial validation. The first industrial campaigns validated extraction, purification, solvent recovery and digital process-monitoring technologies. Product development progressed through tailored formulations for food, feed, cosmetics and bio-based fertilisers, while field trials confirmed the potential of biomass-derived soil improvers. Sustainability assessments were extended to the first industrial valorisation routes, regulatory activities advanced through product-specific assessments and Novel Food work, and dissemination, stakeholder engagement and business planning continued to support future market uptake.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

During the first reporting period, SustaiNext developed an innovative circular bioeconomy model combining sustainable cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants with agricultural side streams. New pretreatment strategies, dynamic multi-product biorefinery design and advanced extraction technologies were developed to maximise feedstock valorisation while reducing waste generation. The first prototypes demonstrated the potential of producing high-value bio-based products from agricultural biomass.
During the second reporting period, the project demonstrated the industrial implementation of this concept through a flexible multi-feedstock, multi-product biorefinery operating under real industrial conditions. Advanced extraction, purification, solvent-recovery and digital monitoring technologies were validated, improving process efficiency, flexibility and traceability. Plant-derived extracts were successfully integrated into multiple end-use applications, while exhausted biomass was recirculated as bio-based soil improvers, reinforcing the project's circular approach and supporting future industrial deployment.