Abstract
Approximately one third of all food produced globally is wasted every year throughout the whole value chain-from farmers to consumers. To extract the significant amounts of valuable compounds contained in these wastes, AgriMax will combine affordable and flexible processing technologies (ultrasound assisted and solvent extraction, filtration, thermal and enzymatic treatments) for the valorization of side streams from the horticultural culture and food processing industry to be used in a cooperative approach by local stakeholders.
Through the selection of case-scenarios previously developed to a pilot scale by the participating RTOs and their industrial transfer in new applications as food additives, packaging and agricultural materials among others, the project will disclose the holistic potential of four new agro-value chains (residues and by products from the culture and processing of tomato, cereals, olives, potato). Any by-product generated along the production cycle will be valorized in a cascade manner to reach over 40% of high value use of the waste. This will lead to additional production of active ingredients in lower concentration, but also fibres, biogas and fertilizers from the left biomass (the latter with the aim of being used in closed loop in the culture of the crops used in the project to prevent soil impoverishing). An LCA and LCC will also study the best approach to minimize the environmental impact of the new value chains without jeopardizing the cost effectiveness of the operations. The pilot multi-feedstock bio-refinery processes will be validated in two demonstration sites in Spain and Italy. Societal, ethical, safety, techno-feasibility and regulatory aspects will be studied. Last but not least, a business model and platform for communication between the potential raw materials suppliers will be set up to maximize the use of the cooperative treatment plants throughout the year.
Project duration
2016-2020
Unibo Team Leader
Annamaria Celli
Other Departments involved
Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali (BIGEA)
Coordinator
INNOVACIO I RECERCA INDUSTRIAL I SOSTENIBLE SL (Spain)
Partnership
- AIMPLAS - ASOCIACION DE INVESTIGACION DE MATERIALES PLASTICOS Y CONEXAS (Spain)
- ALMA MATER STUDIORUM - UNIVERSITÀ DI BOLOGNA (Italy)
- ARDAGH GROUP ITALY SRL (Italy)
- Barilla G.e R. Fratelli - Società per Azioni (Italy)
- BIOPROCESS PILOT FACILITY BV (Netherlands)
- BioVale Limited (UK)
- CHIESA VIRGINIO (Italy)
- CONSORZIO INTERUNIVERSITARIO NAZIONALE PER LA SCIENZA E TECNOLOGIA DEI MATERIALI-INSTM (Italy)
- EXERGY LTD (UK)
- Federació de Cooperatives Agràries de Catalunya (Spain)
- FEMTO ENGINEERING SRL (Italy)
- FERTINAGRO NUTRIENTES, S.L. (Spain)
- Food industries Federation of Austria (Austria)
- FRAUNHOFER-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FOERDERUNG DER ANGEWANDTEN FORSCHUNG E.V (Germany)
- GAVIPLAS, S.L. (Spain)
- INDULLEIDA S.A. (Spain)
- INSTITUTO TECNOLOGICO DEL EMBALAJE, TRANSPORTE Y LOGISTICA (Spain)
- IRTA-INSTITUT DE RECERCA I TECNOLOGIA AGROALIMENTARIES (Spain)
- LABORATORI ARCHA SRL (Italy)
- LASER CONSULT MUSZAKI-TUDOMANYOS ES GAZDASAGI TANACSADO KORLATOLT FELELOSSEGU TARSASAG (Hungary)
- MYCOPLAST DI FEDERICO MARIA GRATI E STEFANO BABBINI S.N.C. (Italy)
- NOFIMA AS (Norway)
- ORGANIC WASTE SYSTEMS NV (Belgium)
- PLASTTECHNICS CLUSTER SLOVENIA-GOSPODARSKO INTERESNO ZDRUZENJE GROZD PLASTTEHNIKA - GIZ GROZD PLASTTEHNIK (Slovenia)
- STAZIONE SPERIMENTALE PER L'INDUSTRIA DELLE CONSERVE ALIMENTARI (Italy)
- Universidad de Almería (Spain)
- Universiteit Gent (Belgium)
- University College Dublin (Eire)
- CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHE (Italy)
- LEBENSMITTELVERSUCHSANSTALT-LVA (Austria)
- Universitat de Lleida (Spain)
Contribution/Budget
Euro 12.484.461,46
Sito web
http://agrimax-project.eu/