The CIRCULAR BIOCARBON project involves the construction of a state-of-the-art biorefinery designed to transform the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) and sewage sludge into high added-value products.
The biorefinery model promoted by the CIRCULAR BIOCARBON project will enable more efficient management of urban organic waste, using innovative technologies to recover and produce secondary raw materials for industries and end consumers.
With the CIRCULAR BIOCARBON project, CAP continues its transition towards a circular economy based on the reuse and recycling of materials, which began with the Bioplatform.
| Project | Details |
|---|---|
| Start | June 2021 |
| End | May 2027 |
| Theme | Circular economy |
| Funding | SI (BBI - JU) |
The CIRCULAR BIOCARBON project aims first and foremost to be an efficient and effective model of circular economy, which can then be replicated at other plants in Europe. The biorefinery model will be implemented in two case studies: in Italy, at the Sesto San Giovanni Bioplatform, and in Spain, at the Zaragoza Technology Innovation Centre. Multi-location implementation promotes the replicability of the model, testing multiple waste management schemes, ecosystems and practices in different territories.
CAP is leading the Italian case study, with scientific support from Università Politecnica delle Marche and Università di Verona, and the collaboration of Novamont as an industrial partner. The project involves the use of wet waste, pre-treated in the Bioplatform, and sewage sludge, produced locally in Sesto, in an innovative co-fermentation process. This process increases the methane potential of the sludge and allows it to be used within the sewage treatment plant, reducing the use of external reagents and minimising waste production.
Downstream of the co-fermentation process, an innovative process will be validated [TA1] on an industrial scale, which will make it possible to obtain biomass rich in biopolymers, which can be used for the production of biodegradable and compostable bags, as well as mulching sheets. This process will be integrated with advanced technology for the recovery of essential nutrients, such as phosphorus, which is a critical raw material, to be used in the production of fertilisers with biostimulant properties.
The project, coordinated by URBASER, brings together a consortium of 11 partners, including pan-European and cross-sector industries and SMEs, research centres and universities from five European countries: Spain, Italy, Denmark, France and Germany, creating a unique synergy and fostering the creation of strategic connections between highly diverse sectors.
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