The 3-year CAFIPLA project will radically alter the biomass pre-treatment approach for bio-economy applications. Current biomass use comes at a high cost, either in terms of land use (sugar/starch crops) or energy and chemical use (2nd generation biomass). On the other hand, bio-waste is massively produced in urban or rural context but almost not valorised, or solely in low-value applications, in part due to its heterogenous nature. CAFIPLA tackles both issues by developing an integrated biomass valorisation strategy that combines the carboxylic acid and fibre recovery platform (CAP/FRP). CAFIPLA firstly optimises the separation of the easily biodegradable fraction and recalcitrant biomass, as input for the CAP and FRP, respectively. This allows the implementation of tailored valorisation strategies for both routes, which in turn allows the use of heterogeneous biowaste as input, while still ensuring high overall yields. In the CAP, research will focus on process control strategies to obtain specific spectra of carboxylic acids to feed into bioproduction of microbial protein, PHA or caproic acid biooil. In the FRP, fractionation into different fibre ranges will result in intermediates that can be valorised as packaging material or insulation. A TRL5 pilot will demonstrate the CAFIPLA upscaling potential. CAFIPLA represents a radically new approach for bio-economy applications by approaching biomass use more pragmatically. This approach, which centres on the integration of two platforms, allows tailor-made solutions. This improves the sustainability and cost-effectiveness of pre-treatment (ambient pressure/temperature, low chemical use, bio-waste as input material). CAFIPLA will furthermore study the biomass supply chain and the business models for future implementation. The well-balanced consortium, including 7 SMEs on 13 participants, will ensure successful research and impact on the bio-economy well beyond the project consortium and timing.

RECOVER is a disruptive RIA proposal built upon the actual needs to solve the contamination of agro-fields with non-biodegradable agro-plastics as well as to improve municipal waste handling by decreasing drastically the packaging fraction going to unsustainable waste management routes. We intend to reach our ambitious objectives applying biotech solutions that will include symbiotic bioprocesses between previously reported high powered microorganisms through microbiotic systems vectored by several insect species. Indeed, one of the main innovations in our proposal is the combination of endogenous and exogenous microorganisms and their inoculation on insects. This will allow achieving higher levels of biodegradation and direct conversion (at the same time) of agri-food plastic wastes in insect by-products such as chitin, that can be converted in chitosan (high value as bioplastics raw materials and other interesting industrial applications due to anti-microbial activity) that will be used in active packaging, enhanced mulching films and biofertilizers applications. RECOVER will help providing novel biotechnological solutions applying microorganisms, enzymes and insects to degrade conventional plastic packaging and agricultural films waste streams but also result in new feedstocks for the bio-based industries. The process will be optimized and performed either ex-situ in composting reactors (preferred route for non-recyclable plastics from municipal solid waste or for agricultural films that can be collected easily) or in-situ in the case of bioremediating soil pollution, by e.g. mulching films, further contributing to the long-term removal of non-biodegradable polymers from the environment. In addition, RECOVER can solve the microplastics pollution at the level of both industrial composting and soil.

VOLATILE aims in the development of an innovative Volatile Fatty Acids Platform for the bioconversion of municipal solid bio-waste fraction and sludgy biowaste from other industries. The platform will be integrated in anaerobic digestion. The volatile fatty acids will be recovered continuously using sophisticated membrane technology and will be provided as feedstock / carbon source for value added fermentation approaches such as biopolymer PHA to be tested in material applications, single cell oil as precursor for oleochemical industry as well as long chain unsaturated health-promoting Omega-3 fatty acids to be used as food ingredient or nutraceutical. PHA will be obtained by bacterial fermentations, single cell oil from yeast cultivation and Omega-3 fatty acids via heterotrophic microalgae. The process development will be accompanied with sophisticated LCA study in order to ensure environmental friendly process design. The project will also work on solutions to typical barriers beside others such as quality requirements, continuous and sufficient feedstock supply or interaction between members of value chain using agent-based modelling. Also the effect of legal stimuli and restrictions and subsidies and taxes will be studied and a link between product requirements and markets will be established. VOLATILE will prepare a Roadmap indicating future research needs but also giving suggestion for legislative improvements. A CEN workshop will be initiated to discuss with external stakeholders rules for the VFAP & to set up standard requirements in the form of a CEN workshop Agreement.