Descrizione del progetto
Un nuovo solvente biocompatibile per la trasformazione dei semi oleosi
I settori degli oli vegetali e delle proteine correlate impiegano esano derivato dal petrolio per estrarre oli da materiali vegetali, una pratica che si rivela tuttavia dannosa per la salute umana e per l’ambiente. Pertanto, il progetto EcoXtract, finanziato dall’UE, svilupperà un nuovo solvente biocompatibile per la trasformazione di colture ricche di oli e proteine, che sostituirà l’esano e modificherà radicalmente questo settore agro-alimentare globale. Al cuore dell’iniziativa vi è un esteso programma di collaudo, convalida e ottimizzazione dei sistemi su scala industriale, seguito dalla produzione di prototipi del prodotto, basati sulle esigenze di queste due catene del valore. I membri del consorzio, che comprende cinque PMI complementari, costruiranno i primi impianti su suolo europeo per l’estrazione di olio al mondo basati su EcoXtract, sia su larga che su piccola scala. L’ottimizzazione su scala commerciale di EcoXtract® permetterà al settore della bioindustria di compiere un importante passo avanti.
Obiettivo
The vegetable oil and related protein sectors use petroleum-based hexane to extract oil from plant materials. Hexane-based extraction is an old technology that is harmful to health and to the environment. Our ambition is to bring a new biobased solvent called EcoXtract® to the market for processing of oil- and protein-rich crops. This will replace hexane in a million tonne/year market leading to transformation of this global agri-food sector. The project will enable us to construct the world’s first large-scale and first small-scale EcoXtract-based oil extraction plants in Europe. This will be followed by world-wide transformation beyond the consortium enabled by our patented solvent technology: EcoXtract.
We will use an open innovation approach between five complementary European businesses. Agroprotein is a developer of agri-food plant protein- and oil-based value chains. Pennakem is a global leader in green solvent systems. It developed and now owns the EcoXtract solvent technology. De Wit is a world leader in extracting and marketing high-value oilseed products. NHE is a leader in operating and scaling up extraction systems. An extensive programme of industrial-scale system testing, validation and optimisation followed by product prototying driven by the needs of two value chains lies at the heart of the project. Supported also by co-creative prototyping with clients, we will develop three new mutually supporting business lines within the EcoXtract® framework pioneering global transition of the sector to this new technology.
Oilseeds account for about one-fifth of global crop production. This project will revolutionise processing by introducing a biobased alternative to hexane in both low and high volume markets. The commercial-scale optimization of EcoXtract® will be a big step forward for the biobased sector and advance Horizon 2020’s impact on Societal Challenge 2 opening up new markets for the biobased solvent and its extraction products.
Campo scientifico
Programma(i)
Argomento(i)
Meccanismo di finanziamento
IA - Innovation actionCoordinatore
49661 CLOPPENBURG
Germania