Imagine turning useless, dry land that can't grow food into a goldmine for raw materials. This project finds specific plants that love poor soil and uses them to make things like plastics and building boards. It's like upgrading a wasteland into a sustainable factory for green materials.
Industries struggle to find sustainable, non-food biomass that doesn't cause indirect land-use change (ILUC) or destroy biodiversity. Marginal lands are often wasted due to water scarcity and poor soil quality.
A mapping system for low-ILUC marginal lands and physical prototypes of bio-based biochemicals, elastomers, coatings, and MDF panels.
If you are a bio-plastic producer dealing with high feedstock costs and land-use conflicts — this project developed low-ILUC biomass pathways that provide non-edible raw materials for elastomers and coatings. This ensures your supply chain doesn't compete with food production.
If you are a panel manufacturer dealing with the need for greener alternatives to traditional wood — this project developed bio-based particle boards and MDF panels. These use industrial crops grown on marginal lands to reduce environmental footprints.
If you are a farm operator dealing with soil erosion and water scarcity on unused land — this project developed intercropping and agroforestry systems. These methods allow you to generate income from marginal land while improving biodiversity.
Based on available project data, specific pricing or cost-per-unit for the biochemicals and composites is not provided; however, the project focuses on creating feasible bio-based value chains.
The project has established field case studies across 9 European countries, including 10 intercropping and 5 agroforestry trials, to test scalability on marginal lands.
Based on available project data, the project has distributed advanced breeding materials for screening trials, but specific licensing terms are not detailed.
The project specifically targets 'low-ILUC' (Indirect Land Use Change) feedstock by mapping marginal lands to ensure biomass production does not displace food crops.
The project period runs from 2022-11-01 to 2026-10-31, with mapping and product development currently in progress.
The consortium is heavily weighted toward commercial application, with 12 industrial partners (41% ratio) and 6 SMEs. This strong industry presence, combined with 9 universities and 7 research centers across 14 countries, suggests a high focus on translating lab results into marketable bio-based products.
Contact the Centre for Renewable Energy Sources and Saving Fondation in Greece.
Contact SciTransfer to connect with the MIDAS consortium for bio-based feedstock licensing.
