Descripción del proyecto
Crecimiento de las cadenas de valor a partir de los residuos de madera
Una economía renovable en un sector químico y de combustibles de origen biológico es crucial para mitigar los efectos del cambio climático y la degradación medioambiental. Cada año se dispone de unos mil millones de toneladas de biomasa procedente de los desechos de la silvicultura y la agricultura en todo el mundo. Debido a las tecnologías ineficaces y caras, solo se recicla la mitad de los 70 millones de toneladas de residuos de madera europeos. El equipo del proyecto BioFlex, financiado con fondos europeos, propone una tecnología novedosa que disuelve los residuos de la madera para obtener materias primas que se pueden utilizar después. A partir de los residuos de madera no deseados, obtiene materias primas de bajo coste para producir bioplásticos de alta calidad, productos químicos comunes y materiales novedosos. Esta tecnología reducirá la contaminación atmosférica y del suelo y mejorará la calidad del aire, además de apoyar los objetivos gubernamentales e industriales de reducción de residuos.
Objetivo
We have developed the BioFlex solvent process that uses unwanted waste wood as a very cheap raw-material to produce clean and high-quality inputs for the production of renewable chemicals, fuels and materials. An inexpensive process separates the main components of wood: cellulose and lignin. These can then be turned into final products such as bio-plastics, common chemicals and novel materials.
There are a variety of new value chains that are potentially created through our technology. For example, using the waste wood from a local council, cellulose can be isolated, which is hydrolysed, fermented to succinic acid and then used in paint. The lignin isolated alongside the cellulose can be turned into a drop-in biodiesel sold at the local petrol station. Similarly, sawdust from a timber mill can be fractionated, the cellulose used to produce methylcellulose as a thickener in food, the lignin turned into a bio-derived plastic.
We are diverting wood waste from going to landfill or incineration and sawdust going into pellets. The European pellets market is saturated, also with pellets imported from the Americas. The lignin and cellulose produced from these currently underused wood resources can enter new, emerging, or existing value chains.
Our competition on the waste wood disposal side is incineration, offering energy recovery in some cases but resulting in the formation of toxic ash and contributing to air pollution. For some heavily treated waste wood there are no competitors except for costly and highly undesirable landfilling which are largely viewed as problematic by both waste producers and waste managers.
The market is estimated to be EUR 40.9 billion for BioFlex products and EUR 13.4 billion of waste wood recycling. We have established a clear timeline for commercialization and signed a number of agreements with partners to make this plan feasible. We have an interdisciplinary and dedicated team to make Bioflex and its products available on the market.
Ámbito científico
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringwaste managementwaste treatment processesrecycling
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringair pollution engineering
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuels
- engineering and technologyindustrial biotechnologybiomaterialsbioplastics
- agricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesforestry
Programa(s)
Convocatoria de propuestas
Consulte otros proyectos de esta convocatoriaConvocatoria de subcontratación
H2020-SMEInst-2018-2020-1
Régimen de financiación
SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1Coordinador
EC4N 8AF London
Reino Unido
Organización definida por ella misma como pequeña y mediana empresa (pyme) en el momento de la firma del acuerdo de subvención.