Periodic Reporting for period 3 - BeonNAT (Innovative value chains from tree & shrub species grown in marginal lands as a source of biomass for bio-based industries)
Berichtszeitraum: 2023-07-01 bis 2025-06-30
The main problems addressed are the following:
1) INCREASING DEMAND FOR BIO-BASED PRODUCTS: The existing economic system is increasingly moving away from the use of fossil-based raw materials towards an economy based on natural material cycles.
2) SOIL DEGRADATION AND LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY IN MARGINAL LANDS: Marginal lands are defined in Europe as the land uses at the margin of economic viability and affected by soil degradation processes.
3) GLOBAL WARMING EFFECTS: Climatic changes will bring many and complex effects for forests over different EU bioclimatic regions.
4) RURAL ABANDONMENT IN EUROPE: Since 1960, the rural population in Europe has declined by 20%, and the population of predominantly rural regions is projected to fall another 7.9 million by 2050. Rural depopulation and aging contribute to the trend of farmland abandonment.
BeonNAT project proposes to use marginal lands which do not compete neither with agriculture use for food production nor with fibre/wood industries, to obtain biomass for the production of new bio-based products following a biorefinery cascading concept.
In BeonNAT, forest tree and shrub specieswere cultivated in marginal lands in Spain, Germany and Romania (countries with large areas of marginal lands) to obtain wood-based feedstock for several industrial applications. Thanks to BeonNAT implementation, it was expected to enhance biodiversity and soil quality in marginal lands, offering more environmental services. The creation of new bio-based value chains for different markets (cosmetic industry, packaging sector, pet industry, etc.) will generate rural employment in places where marginal lands are in the limit of the economic viability, leading to significant positive effects to the rural economy.
1) INCREASING DEMAND FOR BIO-BASED PRODUCTS: The existing economic system is increasingly moving away from the use of fossil-based raw materials towards an economy based on natural material cycles.
2) SOIL DEGRADATION AND LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY IN MARGINAL LANDS: Marginal lands are defined in Europe as the land uses at the margin of economic viability and affected by soil degradation processes.
3) GLOBAL WARMING EFFECTS: Climatic changes will bring many and complex effects for forests over different EU bioclimatic regions.
4) RURAL ABANDONMENT IN EUROPE: Since 1960, the rural population in Europe has declined by 20%, and the population of predominantly rural regions is projected to fall another 7.9 million by 2050. Rural depopulation and aging contribute to the trend of farmland abandonment.
BeonNAT project proposes to use marginal lands which do not compete neither with agriculture use for food production nor with fibre/wood industries, to obtain biomass for the production of new bio-based products following a biorefinery cascading concept.
In BeonNAT, forest tree and shrub specieswere cultivated in marginal lands in Spain, Germany and Romania (countries with large areas of marginal lands) to obtain wood-based feedstock for several industrial applications. Thanks to BeonNAT implementation, it was expected to enhance biodiversity and soil quality in marginal lands, offering more environmental services. The creation of new bio-based value chains for different markets (cosmetic industry, packaging sector, pet industry, etc.) will generate rural employment in places where marginal lands are in the limit of the economic viability, leading to significant positive effects to the rural economy.
Throughout the BeonNAT project, the consortium has advanced from species selection and field establishment to pilot-scale validation of eight new forest-based value chains, targeting the sustainable use of marginal lands in Spain, Germany, and Romania.
In WP1 (Underutilised Tree & Shrub Species Screening), thirteen species were selected based on ecological suitability and biochemical profiles, and the legal frameworks for agricultural and forest marginal lands were analysed.
In WP2 (Biomass Cultivation, Harvesting, Logistics & Supply Plan), intercropping plantations covering 4 ha per country were established and maintained across six sites. Supply protocols were developed to ensure continuous biomass provision for downstream processing. Harvest and storage trials were implemented, and biomass characterisation for energy and material uses was completed.
In WP3 (Essential Oils and Vegetal Extracts), a portable distillation plant was built and tested, enabling the extraction of essential oils at pilot scale. Functional compound identification, quantification, and bioactivity assays were carried out, and regulatory analyses for new products were advanced.
In WP4 (PLA Bioplastics for Packaging), sugar-rich media were produced from selected species, lactic acid production was scaled up, and PLA (Poly Lactic Acid) was synthesised and processed into packaging prototypes.
In WP5 (Biochar and Active Carbons Production), multiple biomass batches were conditioned and processed to produce biochar and activated carbon, with additional oxidative pyrolysis trials conducted.
In WP6 (Development of New Absorbents for the Pet Industry), biomass-char mixtures were pelletised, including microencapsulated essential oils. Laboratory tests were performed to assess physical pellet quality, and an industrial plant study (Task 6.3) was completed.
In WP7 (Wood Pulp and Particleboard Preparation), kraft pulping tests were conducted for both hardwood and softwood species, and particleboards were manufactured and evaluated for physical and mechanical performance.
In WP8 (Market, Biodiversity and Value Chain Sustainability Assessments), location, capacity, and product focus for the three biorefineries were finalised. LCA (Life Cycle Assessment), techno-economic analysis, and market studies confirmed essential oils, biochar, and pet litter absorbents as the most promising products in the short to medium term. Biodiversity and soil monitoring showed no significant changes over the project period.
In WP9 (Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation), two public workshops, 13 conference presentations, 10 peer-reviewed publications, more than 150 social media posts, and three project videos were delivered. Exploitable results were identified and their protection strategies initiated.
Across these WPs, the project met its targets by validating eight forest-based value chains through pilot-scale demonstrations and market feasibility analysis. The selected end products—essential oils, biochar, activated carbon, pet litter absorbents, PLA packaging, and particleboards—show potential for profitable business development in the short to medium term, even considering the low productivity of marginal land plantations.
The project’s impact is twofold: it demonstrates how underutilised marginal lands in Spain, Germany, and Romania can contribute to the bioeconomy without creating ILUC (Indirect Land Use Change) issues, and it delivers scalable, sustainable processes adaptable to other EU regions.
In WP1 (Underutilised Tree & Shrub Species Screening), thirteen species were selected based on ecological suitability and biochemical profiles, and the legal frameworks for agricultural and forest marginal lands were analysed.
In WP2 (Biomass Cultivation, Harvesting, Logistics & Supply Plan), intercropping plantations covering 4 ha per country were established and maintained across six sites. Supply protocols were developed to ensure continuous biomass provision for downstream processing. Harvest and storage trials were implemented, and biomass characterisation for energy and material uses was completed.
In WP3 (Essential Oils and Vegetal Extracts), a portable distillation plant was built and tested, enabling the extraction of essential oils at pilot scale. Functional compound identification, quantification, and bioactivity assays were carried out, and regulatory analyses for new products were advanced.
In WP4 (PLA Bioplastics for Packaging), sugar-rich media were produced from selected species, lactic acid production was scaled up, and PLA (Poly Lactic Acid) was synthesised and processed into packaging prototypes.
In WP5 (Biochar and Active Carbons Production), multiple biomass batches were conditioned and processed to produce biochar and activated carbon, with additional oxidative pyrolysis trials conducted.
In WP6 (Development of New Absorbents for the Pet Industry), biomass-char mixtures were pelletised, including microencapsulated essential oils. Laboratory tests were performed to assess physical pellet quality, and an industrial plant study (Task 6.3) was completed.
In WP7 (Wood Pulp and Particleboard Preparation), kraft pulping tests were conducted for both hardwood and softwood species, and particleboards were manufactured and evaluated for physical and mechanical performance.
In WP8 (Market, Biodiversity and Value Chain Sustainability Assessments), location, capacity, and product focus for the three biorefineries were finalised. LCA (Life Cycle Assessment), techno-economic analysis, and market studies confirmed essential oils, biochar, and pet litter absorbents as the most promising products in the short to medium term. Biodiversity and soil monitoring showed no significant changes over the project period.
In WP9 (Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation), two public workshops, 13 conference presentations, 10 peer-reviewed publications, more than 150 social media posts, and three project videos were delivered. Exploitable results were identified and their protection strategies initiated.
Across these WPs, the project met its targets by validating eight forest-based value chains through pilot-scale demonstrations and market feasibility analysis. The selected end products—essential oils, biochar, activated carbon, pet litter absorbents, PLA packaging, and particleboards—show potential for profitable business development in the short to medium term, even considering the low productivity of marginal land plantations.
The project’s impact is twofold: it demonstrates how underutilised marginal lands in Spain, Germany, and Romania can contribute to the bioeconomy without creating ILUC (Indirect Land Use Change) issues, and it delivers scalable, sustainable processes adaptable to other EU regions.
BeonNAT has advanced the state of the art by demonstrating the technical and economic feasibility of producing high-value bio-based products from underutilised woody and shrub species cultivated on marginal lands in Spain, Germany, and Romania. The project developed innovative harvesting, pre-treatment, and processing methods for the separation of leafy and woody fractions, enabling cascading value chains that maximise the use of each biomass component. This integrated approach covered essential oils and plant extracts, PLA bioplastics, biochar and activated carbon, pet-litter absorbents, and wood pulp and particleboards, all validated through pilot-scale demonstrations.
Beyond previous EU-funded initiatives (e.g. H2020 MAGIC, STROMA, LIFE ENERBIOSCRUB), BeonNAT addressed species with limited traditional market use, expanding the feedstock portfolio available for the forest-based bioeconomy while avoiding ILUC (Indirect Land Use Change) issues. The project validated eight new forest-based value chains, each supported by technical performance data, life cycle assessments, and market analyses, confirming short- to medium-term business potential despite modest biomass yields from marginal lands.
The socio-economic impact is significant. BeonNAT’s value chains can stimulate rural development by creating new job opportunities for primary producers, processing industries, and highly qualified personnel in RTOs (research and Technological Organisations) and SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises). The wider societal implications include demonstrating sustainable biomass production systems on marginal land without competing with food crops, providing new habitats through intercropping systems with no observed negative impacts on biodiversity, reducing greenhouse gas emissions through decentralised biomass processing and improved logistics, and supporting EU climate and circular economy goals by replacing fossil-based products with renewable alternatives.
The project has also achieved a high impact in dissemination and exploitation, ensuring broad stakeholder engagement and paving the way for tangible market uptake of the developed products and processes.
Beyond previous EU-funded initiatives (e.g. H2020 MAGIC, STROMA, LIFE ENERBIOSCRUB), BeonNAT addressed species with limited traditional market use, expanding the feedstock portfolio available for the forest-based bioeconomy while avoiding ILUC (Indirect Land Use Change) issues. The project validated eight new forest-based value chains, each supported by technical performance data, life cycle assessments, and market analyses, confirming short- to medium-term business potential despite modest biomass yields from marginal lands.
The socio-economic impact is significant. BeonNAT’s value chains can stimulate rural development by creating new job opportunities for primary producers, processing industries, and highly qualified personnel in RTOs (research and Technological Organisations) and SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises). The wider societal implications include demonstrating sustainable biomass production systems on marginal land without competing with food crops, providing new habitats through intercropping systems with no observed negative impacts on biodiversity, reducing greenhouse gas emissions through decentralised biomass processing and improved logistics, and supporting EU climate and circular economy goals by replacing fossil-based products with renewable alternatives.
The project has also achieved a high impact in dissemination and exploitation, ensuring broad stakeholder engagement and paving the way for tangible market uptake of the developed products and processes.