Create more value out of agriculture by-products and waste: the NoAW research project https://noaw2020.eu has found innovative break-through solutions for up-cycling unavoidable and continuously generated by-products from agriculture. Thanks to the project, straw residues, manure and winery wastes are transformed into eco-friendly bioplastics, biofertilizer and biogas. Thus, the circular economy principle brings sustainable solutions for agro-waste valorisation - reducing conventional plastics, mitigating global warming and protecting natural resources.
The project is funded by the Horizon 2020 Framework Program of the European Union.
Value beyond anaerobic digestion of agricultural waste
The boosting action of innovative pre- and post-treatment of the agro-wastes extends the scope of the types of feedstocks that can be used in biogas facilities. The innovative two-step anaerobic digestion produces biogas, biohydrogen, biomethane, biofertilizers and high added-value polyhydroxy-alkanoate (PHA) biopolymers in the same plant.
Next generation of eco-friendly plastics in the agri-food sector
Using innovative processing routes, the project converted straw, vinery and other vegetal wastes into innovative biodegradable composite materials (combining for example PHAs and lignocellulosic fibres) to be used as sustainable food and non-food packaging and many other applications like in agriculture and horticulture, to replace some petrochemical single-use polluting plastics.
Tailoring sustainable regional business and marketing concepts
With an integrative and strategic approach, the project suggests combining techno-economic and environmental assets and derives relevant, applicable regional business concepts for agro-technical clusters of various sizes and applications.
Connecting people and business to drive innovation
The NoAW project is coming to a successful conclusion on the Final Stakeholder Webinar on 18-19 January 2021. This free online event – comprising two half-day sessions – will provide participants the opportunity to discuss current and upcoming innovations in agro-waste management and the creation of biosourced materials and energy. Top-experts across continents, from Europe and China, will share their knowledge and experiences on successful innovative solutions, emerging tools, methods and technologies developed in the NoAW project and beyond. Market-leading companies are present: a unique opportunity for networking and matchmaking.
Register now for free: https://noaw2020.eu/event/noaw-final-stakeholder-event/
***END***
Note to editors:
1. NoAW is the acronym for “No Agro-Waste: Innovative approaches to turn agricultural waste into ecological and economic assets”. It is a European Horizon 2020 research and development project, running from 2016 to 2021, coordinated by INRAE (France). The consortium involves 32 partners from universities, public research organizations and other institutions from a dozen countries, including participants form China, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Keywords: agroecology, bioplastics, biomaterials, anaerobic digestion, biofuels, biogas, biomethane, biohydrogen, biofertilizers, bioproducts, circular economy, vinery, organic waste
2. Further information on NoAW project: http://noaw2020.eu
INRAE (Coordinator): Prof. Nathalie Gontard, e-mail: nathalie.gontard@inrae.fr
Campden BRI Hungary: dr. András SebÅ‘k, e-mail: a.sebok@campdenkht.com
3. Publication free of charge - specimen copies requested / send to Campden BRI Hungary, campden@campdenkht.com
4. Get NoAW logo in printable quality on http://noaw2020.eu/noaw-media-tools/
Contact for the media:
Name: Campden BRI Magyarország Nonprofit Kft.
E: campden@campdenkht.com
7 January 2021
