The EuroBioRef project (European Multilevel Integrated Biorefinery Design for Sustainable Biomass Processing) coordinated by CNRS, France, has just been launched on the 1st of March 2010 for a four years duration. It is supported by a 23 Million euro funding from the EU’s seventh Framework Program. EuroBioRef will deal with the entire process of transformation of biomass, from fields to final commercial products. It will involve 28 partners from 14 different countries into a highly collaborative work.
The development and implementation of bio-refinery processes is of crucial importance to build a bio-based economy. The EuroBioRef project will develop a new highly integrated and diversified concept including multiple feedstocks (non-edible), multiple processes (chemical, biochemical, thermochemical), and multiple products (aviation fuels and chemicals). As efficiency is the key to the bio-refinery processes, this implies to take decisive actions to facilitate better networking, coordination and cooperation among a wide variety of actors.
New synergies, cost efficiencies and improved methods will be achieved by involving the stakeholders at all levels: large and small (bio) chemical industries, academics and researchers from the whole biomass value chain, as well as European organisations. The overall efficiency of this approach will be a vast improvement of the existing situation. It will ensure the production of aviation fuels and multiple chemical products in a flexible and optimized way. The target is also to improve cost efficiency by as much as 30 per cent through improved reaction and separation effectiveness, reduced capital investments. Also through improved plant and feedstock flexibility, and reduction of production time and logistics; reduce by 30 per cent the energy used and produce zero waste.
The EuroBioRef concept achieves integration across the whole system from feedstock to product diversification and adapts to regional conditions, integrating into existing infrastructures, minimizing risks to investors. The flexible approach means widening bio-refinery implementation to the full geographical range of Europe, and offers opportunities to export bio-refinery technology packages to more local markets and feedstock hotspots. The impact of the project in terms of environment, social and economic benefits is important and could give a serious advantage for European bio-industry. Techno-economic evaluation of the whole integrated biorefinery and environmental life cycle assessment and studies will be carried out.
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