NEXT-STEP

NEXT-GEN OF SUSTAINABLE BIOBASED CHEMICAL PLATFORMS AND POLYMERS: ENHANCING SUSTAINABILITY IN EUROPEAN INDUSTRY

Project details

Type of project: Innovation Action - Demonstration
Project focus: Bio-based chemicals
Feedstock origin: Forestry waste
Feedstock type: Lignin & wood residues

Project period: 1 June 2024 - 31 May 2028
Status: In progress
CBE JU Contribution: € 6 609 475,50
Call identifier: HORIZON-JU-CBE-2023

Summary

Scaling up sustainable and biodegradable materials is crucial for the future advancement of European industry. Currently, many bio-based alternatives struggle to compete with established fossil-based chemicals due to challenges in environmental, economic, and societal performance. To overcome this, NEXT-STEP aims to build on the H2020 BioCatPolymers project to scale up and demonstrate a sustainable, safe, and economically viable production process for a new chemical platform with large-scale applications, notably in the bio-based polymer market.

By reducing manufacturing costs and using second-generation feedstocks such as hardwood sugars produced from sustainably managed forests, NEXT-STEP aims to develop a new chemical platform, the 3-methyl-d-valerolactone (3MdVL) that will improve the sustainability and recyclability of polyurethane (PU) products and unlock new engineering plastic applications for polylactic acid (PLA) co-polymers. This initiative seeks to address environmental concerns while fostering the adoption of bio-based materials in various industries.