Bio Base Europe is a Flamish-Dutch project tot transform the canal zone of Gent-Terneuzen into the most important centre of biobased economy. The project is an initiative of Biopark Terneuzen and Ghent Bio-Energy Valley. The respective ministers of Economic Affairs Maria van der Hoeven (NL) and Patricia Ceysens (B) gave the starting sign for the project.
The project consist of a pilot installation for biobased products and processes. Besides that an educationcentre for proces operators will be part of the activities. Biofuels will be an important product, but the development of for exemple bio-colours, bio-plastics, bio-detergents and bio-chemicals will also be addressed. The project is estimated to cost about 13 million euro.
The partners aim to build the pilot installation in the Ghent harbour and start it up at the beginning of 2010. Scientists will test coproducts from agriculture, such as wheat straw, corn cobs, wood chips, jatropha- and algea oil, as sources for biofuels on an industrial scale. The installation focusses on the use of European expertise from different sectors. The Belgian professor Wim Soetaert is responsible for the project.
The education centre will be build in Terneuzen. This will cost around eight million euro. From 2011 onwards this centre should provide well educated technical people to meet the needs of the bio energy market.
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