Spanish SME specializing in biomass valorisation — activated carbon, botanical extracts, and bio-based materials from plant residues and marginal land crops.
Envirohemp is a Spanish SME specializing in biomass valorisation — turning plant-based residues and underutilized crops into functional bio-based materials and chemicals. Their work spans activated carbon production, lignin-derived carbon fibres, botanical extracts, and bioplastics from marginal land crops. They bring practical bioprocessing and extraction expertise to EU consortia, bridging the gap between agricultural feedstocks and industrial bio-products. Based in Navarra, they operate at the intersection of green chemistry and circular bioeconomy.
Core focus across CareSTOR (market uptake of carbons for energy storage), PORTABLECRAC (electrochemical regeneration of activated carbon), and BeonNAT (activated carbon from marginal land biomass).
BeonNAT and EUCALIVA both focus on extracting value from underutilized plant sources — shrubs from marginal lands and eucalyptus lignin respectively.
AQUACOMBINE targets hydroxycinnamic acids and botanical extracts from halophytes, while BeonNAT covers essential oils and plant extracts.
EUCALIVA focused specifically on lignin valorisation for advanced materials and carbon fibres via electrospinning.
BeonNAT includes bioplastic and pet absorbent development from tree and shrub biomass, signalling a move into consumer-facing bio-products.
Envirohemp's early H2020 work (2016–2018) centred on carbon materials — lignin-derived carbon fibres, activated carbon regeneration, and carbons for energy storage. From 2019 onward, their focus broadened significantly toward agricultural bioprocessing: aquaponics residue valorisation, halophyte-derived bio-active compounds, essential oils, and bioplastics from marginal land crops. The trajectory is clear: from industrial carbon chemistry toward a wider circular bioeconomy encompassing food-adjacent and agricultural value chains.
Envirohemp is evolving from a carbon-materials specialist into a broader biorefinery player, increasingly focused on extracting value from agricultural residues and marginal land crops — expect future work in circular bioeconomy and green chemistry.
Envirohemp primarily joins consortia as a specialist partner (4 of 5 projects), contributing specific bioprocessing and extraction capabilities rather than leading large programmes. They coordinated one project (CareSTOR), which was also their largest by funding, suggesting they can lead when the topic is squarely in their core domain. With 45 unique partners across 13 countries, they are well-networked and comfortable working in diverse, multinational teams.
Envirohemp has collaborated with 45 distinct partners across 13 countries, indicating a broad European network built over 5 projects. Their partnerships span both industrial and academic sectors, consistent with the applied-research nature of their Innovation Action-heavy portfolio (4 of 5 projects are IAs).
Envirohemp occupies a rare niche: an SME that combines activated carbon expertise with agricultural bioprocessing, meaning they can work across energy storage, food waste valorisation, and bio-based materials within a single value chain. Their strong Innovation Action track record (80% of projects) shows they deliver close-to-market results, not just lab research. For consortium builders, they offer a proven Spanish SME partner with hands-on extraction and biorefinery capabilities that bridge multiple sectors.
