Imagine if the piles of farm waste usually burned or dumped could be turned into plastic, fuel, or fertilizer. This project creates a blueprint for farmers and factories to work together to make this happen. It's like building a new bridge between the field and the factory to make sure everyone makes money from waste.
Primary producers are excluded from bioeconomy profits due to fragmentation and lack of logistics. This leads to 98% of valuable biomass being wasted while rural areas suffer from depopulation.
A Digital Toolbox and Circular Business Model Navigator. These provide case studies and a map of conversion technologies to link farmers to bio-refineries.
If you are a bio-refinery operator dealing with unstable feedstock supply — this project developed Circular Bioeconomy Business Models that integrate primary producers into the value chain. This ensures a steady flow of the 900 million tons of available residual biomass to create high-value products.
If you are a cooperative dealing with fragmented small-scale producers — this project developed a Digital Toolbox and cooperation models. This helps farmers negotiate better and capture 4-9 times more added value than simply burning waste for energy.
If you are a waste processor dealing with 98% of biomass ending up in landfills — this project developed advanced biorefinery processes. This allows you to shift from simple disposal to producing bio-based products that support 5-10 times more jobs.
Based on available project data, the project focuses on increasing added value by 4-9 times compared to energy-only uses, which suggests a higher profit margin for the resulting products.
The project is testing these models in 5 Living Labs across Europe to demonstrate processes and monitor impacts, specifically addressing the difficulty of scaling up innovative technologies.
The project provides an Open Access knowledge hub and a Digital Toolbox, suggesting that the business models and toolkits are intended for wide adoption rather than restrictive licensing.
Yes, the project specifically reviews regulatory frameworks and provides policy recommendations to overcome complex and fragmented policy schemes.
Integration is achieved through co-created cooperation models and a Digital Toolbox designed to connect primary producers directly to the bioeconomy value chain.
The consortium is well-balanced for commercialization, featuring a 31% industry ratio with 4 industrial partners, including 3 SMEs. With 13 partners across 8 European countries, the project combines academic research from 2 universities and 3 research centers with practical application in 4 other organizations, ensuring the business models are tested in diverse geographic markets.
Contact Ruhr-Universität Bochum regarding the Circular Business Model Navigator
Contact us to access the PRIMED Digital Toolbox for your bio-refinery strategy.
