URBIOFIN

Demonstration of an integrated innovative biorefinery for the transformation of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) into new BioBased products (URBIOFIN)

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Project details

Type of project: Innovation Action - Demonstration
Project focus: Packaging
Feedstock origin: Organic waste
Feedstock type: Organic fraction of municipal solid waste

Project period: 1 June 2017 - 30 September 2022
Status: Completed
CBE JU Contribution: € 10 946 366,03
Call identifier: H2020-BBI-JTI-2016

Summary

Each person in Europe generates an average of 500 kg of municipal solid waste (MSW) per year. Around 50 % of this is organic waste, made up of carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids, all of which represent useful raw materials for creating valuable products. In addition, converting these will reduce the polluting effects and contribute to the shift to a genuine circular economy.

Digesting and composting have helped reduce the biodegradable fraction of MSW sent to landfills. However, the low economic value of compost and biogas leads to higher taxes for citizens to support separate sourcing systems, slowing potential adoption. However, new bio-based products can help to improve the sustainability of such approaches.

The URBIOFIN project has demonstrated the techno-economic and environmental viability of converting the organic fraction of MSW at a semi-industrial scale. It has created chemical building blocks, bio-based polymers, and additives using the urban biorefinery concept applied to MSW. Ultimately, URBIOFIN has offered a new feasible and more sustainable scenario for the current treatment of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste.

Demonstrate the viability of converting 10 tonnes per day of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste into bio-based chemical building blocks, polymers and additives. Assess and characterise the organic fraction of MSW to design the biorefinery and select representative feedstock.
Define the industrial requirements for final bio-product properties.
Reduce the operational costs of bioethanol production from the organic fraction of MSW by 20 %.
Demonstrate, at a semi-industrial scale, the viability of continuous conversion of bioethanol produced from the organic fraction of MSW into bio-based ethylene.
Demonstrate, at a semi-industrial scale, continuous production of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) from partial anaerobic digestion of the organic fraction of MSW.
Validate, at a semi-industrial scale, at least 50-60 % of operational yields for Medium-chain volatile fatty acid (MCFA) and polyhydroxyalcanoates (PHA) production.
Validate, at a semi-industrial scale, PHA extraction process.
Validate, at a semi-industrial scale, biogas upgrading using microalgae.
Produce new bio-based material from biogas.
Produce final marketable products from the bio-based chemicals, polymers and additives obtained in URBIOFIN biorefinery and validate their performance.

Demonstrated conversion of the OFMSW into bio-based ethanol as a building block to produce second-generation bio-based ethylene.
Successfully converted the OFMSW into volatile fatty acids (VFAs) for PHA production.
Upgraded the production of bio-based methane thanks to a new, beyond-state-of-the-art method using a microalgae photobioreactor.
Produced bio-based fertiliser (liquid and solid) from microalgae and OFMSW.

Improved Waste Management practices by demonstrating the conversion of the OFMSW into bio-based building blocks and valuable products.
Achieved competitive bioethanol, PHA, bioethylene, and solid and liquid fertiliser prices.
Encouraged the uptake of the urban biorefinery concept in Europe by offering a sustainable and economically viable approach to transform the OFMSW.
New cross-sectorial interconnections established among the waste management and the bio-based plastic, chemicals, and agri-food sectors.
New value chains established from OFMSW to bio-based plastics for agriculture and cosmetic packaging; and chemicals (bioethylene) for the food industry and fertilisers.

Consortium map

Project coordination

PERSEO BIOTECHNOLOGY S.L. L'ALCUDIA, Spain

Consortium

URBASER SA MADRID, Spain
UNIVERSIDAD DE VALLADOLID VALLADOLID, Spain
NATUREPLAST Mondeville, France
NOVOZYMES A/S Bagsvaerd, Denmark
THE INTERNATIONAL NATURAL AND ORGANIC COSMETICS ASSOCIATION AISBL BRUXELLES, Belgium
LEYGATECH SAS Saint Romain Lachalm, France
CENTRO DE INVESTIGACIONES ENERGETICAS MEDIOAMBIENTALES Y TECNOLOGICAS MADRID, Spain
AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS Madrid, Spain
FUNDACION UNIVERSIDAD DE VALLADOLID Valladolid, Spain
GESTION AMBIENTAL DE CASTILLA-LA MANCHA SA Cuenca, Spain
ETAM ANONYMH ETAIREIA SYMBOYLEYTIKON KAI MELETHTIKON YPIRESION Irakleio, Greece
AINIA Paterna Valencia, Spain
INSTITUTO REGIONAL DE INVESTIGACION Y DESARROLLO AGROALIMENTARIO Y FORESTAL DE CASTILLA-LA MANCHA Tomelloso, Spain
IRIS TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS, SOCIEDAD LIMITADA CORNELLA DE LLOBREGAT, Spain
STICHTING WAGENINGEN RESEARCH Wageningen, Netherlands
BIOMASA PENINSULAR S.A Madrid, Spain