VOLATILE started its activities by establishing management rules and procedures, laying down quality requirements as well as establishing base information for the dissemination of project results. Furthermore, a data management plan was prepared, which was continuously up-dated during the project development.
To facilitate exploitation of project results several dissemination activities were performed. A web page and a stakeholder platform were implemented. Furthermore, a VOLATILE at a glance brochure was designed, giving general project information. To develop appropriate support actions for stakeholders at different places on the value chain, several questionnaires were prepared to assess the stakeholder/public acceptance and to determine where the opportunities to implement a Volatile Fatty Acid Platform lie and what the expected bottlenecks are. Additionally, a regular biannual newsletter was set-up. Also, five peer-reviewed scientific paper could be published as open access and the project partners presented the project at several events by oral presentation or by posters. Additional, VOLATILE participated at two fairs.
One key information needed to successfully exploit/implement the Volatile Fatty Acid Platform was the analysis of feedstock availability, collection systems established as well as treatment options implemented. Therefore, an in-depth desk study on municipal solid biowaste and sludgy biowaste from waste water treatment plants focusing first on the eight test cases and expanding the research to EU-28-member states was made. The analysis was supplemented by a study on quality requirements for the intermediates (VFA) as well as the end-products (polyhydroxyalkanoates, single cell oil, Omega-3 fatty acids) requested by the market. Furthermore, European, National and Regional law affecting the implementation of the Volatile Fatty Acid platform were analyzed. These are also important information for the Roadmap development and outreach activities to policy makers to pave the way for the sustainable use of municipal biowaste in the context of a circular bioeconomy. Additional, facts sheets on the eight business cases were prepared.
To assess the potential of different types of feedstocks, the partners responsible for the test cases provided different sample materials for feedstock analysis and digestion test trials. More than 40 different samples were received and analysed. The sampling was repeated to identify also seasonal changes. Additionally, VOLATILE implemented membrane test trials to recover VFA from anaerobic digestion to be used as carbon source in added-value fermentation approaches. Finally the Volatile Fatty Acid Platform was successfully implemented at the TWENCE test side in the Netherlands at TRL5.
Fermentation test trials were successfully performed and up-scaled, transforming volatile fatty acids into added-value compounds using bacteria for PHA production, yeasts for the transformation of volatile fatty acids into single cell oil as well as heterotrophic microalgae to produce health-promoting Omega-3 fatty acids. Respective down-stream processing was implemented and application tests were done. Furthermore, an agent-based model was developed and implewmented in the on-line decision support tool avaiable via the project web site. Furthermore, the project finalized successfully the foreseen CEN workshop by publishing the CWA as CWA 17484: 2020. Finally a roadmap on policy recommendations was prepared as well as an outlook on future legislation affecting the VFA value chain.
