“TECNALIA designs and optimises innovative processes for mixed agri-food waste recovery with a circular economy approach”
MixMatters offers an innovative system for mixed agri-food waste recovery
An innovative system capable of avoiding 21 tonnes of CO2 emissions
The MixMatters initiative is an innovative system that efficiently separates and recovers three types of mixed biowaste streams from the agri-food industry, wholesale markets, greenhouses, food and beverage industry. It obtains six high value-added products: powdered ingredients, sugar concentrates, recombinant proteins, green fibres, bioactive compounds and plastic monomers.
By separating and recovering 48 tonnes of mixed biowaste, the initiative aims to avoid 21 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year during the demonstration stage.
TECNALIA has been working in this field for years, designing and optimising these recovery processes, with a special focus on fibre recovery. TECNALIA focuses on fibre extraction process with natural deep eutectic solvents, which will be optimised at 3-litre scale and extended to 10-litre scale for the new treated raw materials (solid waste with high cellulose content).
TECNALIA’s research also focused on adjusting the process time and temperature, as well as the biomass ratio, with the aim of obtaining a fibre extraction efficiency of more than 65%.
Mixed biowaste reuse and recovery
Mixed biowaste generated along the agri-food value chain is an abundant resource, rich in high-value compounds such as polysaccharides and polyphenols. However, they have untapped potential as a source of reusable components: 75% of the biowaste generated (about 85 million per year) is landfilled or incinerated, accounting for 3% of total EU greenhouse gas emissions.
The recovery of mixed bio-waste from the agri-food sector faces two basic problems. First, the technological challenges posed by the separation and removal of impurities (e.g. plastics, cardboard or metals), which would otherwise diminish the quality of the process. Second, the logistic challenges posed by the collection of seasonal and geographically dispersed raw materials, which reduce the cost-benefit ratio of recovery.
An innovative project
MixMatters is an ambitious four-year project carried out within the framework of the European programme for innovation and research “Horizon Europe 2021-2027”. The consortium, led by Ainia, is made up of 18 organisations from eight different countries: Spain, Denmark, Belgium, Finland, Austria, Italy, the United Kingdom and Slovenia, bringing together innovative companies, business clusters, innovative technology developers and market experts.
