The biobased economy is seen by many as a future base for a sustainable society and economy. New innovative techniques, partnerships, businesses and policies are being developed, replacing fossil based fuels and materials with renewable materials. Biomass, as renewable and abundant resource, has many direct and indirect applications for food, feed, fuels, fertilizers, chemicals and materials.
AGRIFORVALOR focusses on the valorization potential of biomass sidestreams by facilitating innovation partnership networks aligning multi-actors from primary sector (agriculture and forestry) with the business and research community. By applying a bottom up approach needs from practitioners and grass root ideas will be captured and tailored support offered by AGRIFORVALOR in order to close the research and innovation divide.
The focus of the project is on the transfer of know-how and information to enable and support farmers and foresters to exploit existing research results and the facilitation of business model development for new bio-industry start-ups.
Practitioners are united in three Biomass Innovation Design Hubs, piloted in Spain (Andalucía), Hungary and Ireland. In each of these hubs, existing research results and good practice cases on valorisation of biomass sidestreams from agriculture and forestry are shared and matched with the specific needs and potentials; new grass-roots ideas collected and developed; and dedicated innovation support applied to further deploy selected topics which are dealt with by multi-actor innovation partnership groups. AGRIFORVALOR was succesful in submitting 7 multi-actor innovative projects to regional EIP-AGRI open calls. These include 1 in Andalucia, 1 in Hungary, and 5 in Ireland. From these applications 3 have have been sucessfully funded.
Funded projects:
(1) Biochar for Farm Bioeconomy (IE): The group received funding of €995,000 from 2017 phase 2 application. The group includes The Irish Biochar Co-operative, University College Dublin, Premier Green Energy and Ibec (AGRIFORVALOR partners)
(2) Small biorefinery (IE): Aim is to demonstrate a small-scale grass biorefinery that could be integrated widely into traditional Irish agriculture. The initiative involves a fresh grass biorefinery model which attempts to improve the usable protein per hectare of grass whilst helping farmers to diversify their product base. Monogastric animal feed is produced, in addition to an optimized cattle feed which each animal receiving the grass protein fraction that they utilise most effectively. Thr group includes Carbery Food Ingredients (Farming Co-op), Barryroe Co-op, Institute of Technology Tralee (AGRIFORVALOR partner), University College Dublin, University College Cork and GRASSA B.V. Funding: €941,000.00.
(3) Biofertilizers from the washing sludge of olives and oil (oil mill rafts) and litter (ES): Applying innovative techniques of composting and vermicomposting, to achieve a high quality, economical organic fertilizer that can be obtained and used in all types of agriculture. The group includes Cooperativa San Isidro de Loja, SCA, Cooperativas Agroalimentarias de Andalucía (AGRIFORVALOR partner) and the Andalusian Council of official Colleges of agricultural technical engineers. Funding: €176,688.
In the AGRIFORVALOR project an overview of valorisation techniques and good practice cases is made facilitated through the sidestream value tool (www. agriforvalor.eu/sidestreams) making this information easily available for stakeholders such as foresters, farmers, the biomass processing industries, the bio-energy sector but also for the research sector. This tool will be made publically available 2 years after the project's end.
