MixMatters

The overall objective of MixMatters is to set up the system and demonstrate the separation and valorisation of mixed agri-food biowaste containing impurities such as plastic, cardboard or metal and coming from three streams from the agri-food industry (wholesale markets, greenhouses, and the food and drink industry) into six high-value outputs: powdered ingredients, sugar concentrates, recombinant proteins, green fibres, bioactive compounds and plastic monomers. 

In relation to this, the project aims to: 

• profile the targeted waste streams and waste generation sites and plan the demonstration, laying the ground for industrial symbiosis; 

• test and optimise the separation unit and valorisation hub prior to demonstration; 

• validate the quality, quantity and commercial value of the outputs with end users; 

• guarantee regulatory compliance and safety of the project developments, as well as assessing the environmental and 

•  techno-economic aspects of the entire solution and social acceptance of the final products; 

• engage multiple actors in the process with a view to securing widespread, long-term deployment of the results; 

• ensure wide visibility of the results, thereby increasing public awareness of bio-based solutions. 

In the mid-term perspective (3-5 years after the end of the project), the MixMatters system is expected to: 

• process approximately 6 240 tonnes of mixed biowaste a year, thus reducing landfill use and incineration of waste, increasing processing of biowaste and helping to meet EU reuse and recycling targets; 

• process approximately 1 123 tonnes of plastic a year, preventing pollution and biodiversity loss; 

• avoid the emission of 2 780 tonnes of CO2 every year; 

• engage with new agri-food producers and bio-based product industries to create at least two new value chains from the adaptation and configuration of the MixMatters waste valorisation technology; 

• expand opportunities for the use of biowaste at all stages of value chains and across all sectors so as to foster industrial symbiosis; 

• support the market uptake of innovative waste valorisation technologies with the prospect of generating €24.6 million of revenue in the first 5 years of industrial exploitation of the system; 

• scale-up production and market uptake of bio-based products obtained from industrial waste feedstocks by raising public awareness and ensuring traceability via the implementation of digital product passports.