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ec.europa.eu 2015 0000622.txt

#Eurobioref#How a radical redesign is strengthening economic viability in the bioeconomy Fotolia 2012the word bioeconomy has existed only since the late 1990s. And while the biotechstory is undoubtedly an exciting one it is equally important to find an economicallyviable way of implementing its techniques and getting the resulting products totheir end-users. If the target is to achieve a genuinely functioningbioeconomy placing just as much emphasison the'economy'side of the concept as the'bio'part significant progress is needed still. At the very heart of this issue lies the biorefinery the plant where raw materials (generallybiomass) are treated processed andturned into their final product. Existing biorefineries are limited in the types ofbiomass feedstock they process the technologiesthey apply and the final products they focus on. This has the effect of substantially limiting theadded value that can potentially be achieved. Eurobioref is funded an EU project set up toaddress this problem by identifying improvementsin biorefinery design and operation. These improvements could play a pivotal rolenot only in enabling a truly viable bioeconomybut also in giving Europe an important competitiveadvantage in this vital new area. With 23 million of funding allocatedunder the EU's 7th Framework Programmeeurobioref brings together four different FP7RESEARCH themes: Food Agriculture and Fisheriesbiotechnology; Nanosciences nanotechnologiesmaterials and new productiontechnologies; Energy; and Environment (includingclimate change. Established in 2010 and due to continue until2014 the project is focused on developing ahighly integrated multipurpose refinery. Incontrast with previous designs this one wouldbe capable of handling multiple feedstock'sprocessing them in multiple ways (chemicalbiochemical thermochemical) and producingmultiple products from aviation fuels tochemicals polymers and other materials. The project is also aiming to produce a designwhich is modular and flexible allowing it to beinstalled in various locations around Europeas either large-or small-scale units as localconditions require. The highly diversified nature of the newbiorefinery design is vividly demonstratedby the range of project participants. The 28partners are drawn from research institutionsand commercial enterprises across the entirebiomass value chain. They include biomass producers advancedbiomass pre-treatment specialists catalyticand enzymatic reactions developers and finalchemical and biochemical producers and endusers. In addition to the production of a broaderrange of higher value-added products it isexpected that the greatly enhanced efficiencyof the new design will yield significant benefits. These will include a 30%improvement in costefficiencya 30%reduction in energy use andzero waste production. The work of Eurobioref is still far fromcomplete but the potential prize is clear. Theproject will provide an efficient bridge betweenthe agriculture and chemical industries byintegrating the entire biomass chain in asingle concept adaptable for use in a rangeof locations. It is an advance which will domuch to help provide a viable basis for thebio-economy as a whole. It will also put Europe at the forefront of whatis sure to be one of the most dynamic andimportant areas of economic and scientificactivity of the future u

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