When you make bioethanol or biodiesel, you're left with mountains of leftover gunk — corn oil residues, thin stillage, rapeseed meal. Right now most of it is low-value waste. EXCornsEED figured out how to pull out the good stuff hiding inside: proteins, antioxidants, fibers, and other compounds that the food, cosmetics, and specialty chemical industries actually want to buy. They took the process from lab bench all the way to a pilot plant processing one tonne per day.
By the numbers
1 tonne/day
Industrial pilot processing capacity
EUR 4,259,297
EU contribution for development and validation
14
Consortium partners across 8 countries
TRL3 to TRL5
Scale-up range from lab to industrial pilot
5
SME partners in the consortium
15
Total project deliverables
The business problem
What needed solving
Biorefineries producing bioethanol and biodiesel generate massive volumes of side streams — corn oil, thin stillage, and rapeseed meal — that are currently undervalued or treated as waste. At the same time, the food, cosmetics, and specialty chemical industries are hungry for natural, plant-based proteins, antioxidants, and bioactive compounds. The disconnect between these waste producers and ingredient buyers means money is literally being thrown away.
The solution
What was built
The project developed and validated an integrated extraction, purification, and concentration process for recovering proteins, polyphenols, amino acids, fibers, lipid compounds, alkaloids, and tannins from three biorefinery waste streams. This was scaled to a 1 tonne/day industrial pilot, with 15 deliverables including a concept study of the most appropriate extraction processes.
Audience
Who needs this
Bioethanol producers looking to monetize thin stillage and corn oil wasteBiodiesel producers with rapeseed meal disposal costsNatural cosmetics ingredient suppliers seeking bio-based activesPlant-based protein ingredient companiesSpecialty chemical manufacturers sourcing natural compounds
Business applications
Who can put this to work
Bioethanol and biodiesel production
enterprise
Target: Biorefinery operators currently treating corn oil, thin stillage, or rapeseed meal as low-value waste
If you are a biorefinery operator dealing with thin stillage or rapeseed meal disposal costs — this project developed extraction and purification technologies validated at 1 tonne/day pilot scale that recover proteins, polyphenols, fibers, and lipid compounds from your existing side streams. With 14 partners across 8 countries and EUR 4,259,297 in EU funding, the process was designed to bolt onto existing bioethanol production lines.
Cosmetics and personal care
mid-size
Target: Cosmetics ingredient suppliers looking for natural, bio-based active compounds
If you are a cosmetics ingredient company struggling to source natural bioactives at competitive prices — this project isolated polyphenols, amino acids, alkaloids, and lipid compounds from biorefinery waste streams and characterized them as cosmetics-grade ingredients. The consortium includes product companies that validated these extracts for market readiness across the cosmetics value chain.
Food ingredients and specialty chemicals
any
Target: Food ingredient manufacturers seeking plant-based protein and fiber sources
If you are a food ingredient company searching for new plant-based protein or fiber sources — this project extracted and purified proteins, fibers, and bioactive compounds from corn oil and rapeseed meal side streams. The process was scaled from lab (TRL3) to industrial pilot (TRL5) with 1 tonne/day capacity, with 9 industry partners involved in market validation.
Frequently asked
Quick answers
What would it cost to implement this extraction technology?+
The project received EUR 4,259,297 in EU funding to develop and validate the process with 14 partners. Specific per-unit extraction costs are not disclosed in the available data. A licensing or technology transfer discussion with the consortium would be needed to get implementation pricing.
Can this work at industrial scale?+
The project explicitly targeted scale-up from lab level (few grams, TRL3) to an industrial pilot with 1 tonne/day capacity (TRL5) at the ENV partner premises. This was designed from the start as a market-driven scale-up project, not just lab research.
What about IP and licensing?+
With 14 partners including 5 SMEs and 9 industry players across 8 countries, IP is likely shared under a consortium agreement. Based on available project data, specific licensing terms would need to be negotiated with the coordinator (Università degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza) or the industrial partners.
Which specific waste streams does this cover?+
Three specific biorefinery side streams: corn oil from bioethanol production, thin stillage from bioethanol production, and rapeseed meal from biodiesel production. The recovered compounds include proteins, polyphenols, amino acids, fibers, lipid compounds, alkaloids, and tannins.
How long until a company could use this?+
The project ran from June 2018 to February 2023 and is now closed. The technology reached TRL5 (industrial pilot). Moving to commercial deployment would require further engineering and investment, but the pilot validation at 1 tonne/day provides a solid foundation for scale-up discussions.
What markets have been validated?+
The project explicitly targeted three end markets: food ingredients, specialty chemicals, and cosmetics. Product companies within the consortium (referenced as SIAL, NUT, BZN, and DRL) were involved in market validation for these sectors.
Is this compatible with existing biorefinery operations?+
The project was initiated by biotech producer ENV specifically to transform traditional bioethanol production into a biorefinery concept. The extraction and purification technologies were designed to integrate with existing biorefinery side streams, not replace them.
Consortium
Who built it
The EXCornsEED consortium is heavily industry-driven: 9 out of 14 partners come from industry, with 5 being SMEs — giving a 64% industry ratio that signals real commercial intent. The 8-country spread (Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia) covers major European biorefinery and food ingredient markets. The project was initiated by an industrial biotech producer (ENV) and includes dedicated product companies for cosmetics, food, and specialty chemicals, plus technology experts for extraction processes. The coordinator is Università degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza, which provides the academic backbone. For a business buyer, this consortium composition means the technology was shaped by market needs from day one, not developed in a lab and then looking for applications.
Want to explore licensing this extraction technology or connecting with the EXCornsEED consortium partners? SciTransfer can arrange an introduction and help you evaluate the business fit.
