Proposals under this topic should:

• Demonstrate at large scale a new biorefinery concept extracting maximum value from (all components of) the sustainably sourced bio-based feedstock to produce a variety of materials/products in the scope of CBE JU.
• Set up and operate a biorefinery model that maximises the total value extracted from the input bio-based feedstock, and to minimise the required input (feedstock, energy, other chemicals, other process materials), rather than ‘just’ focusing on a small number of main products, applying efficient use of biomass fractions (including cascading approach to valorise side-streams where applicable).
• Demonstrate the ‘zero-waste’ ambition by:
  • Reducing any exhaust emissions from the industrial installation. These include exhaust flows that are usually not considered in the common pollution prevention and control operations, such as hot water, vapours, odours, etc.
  • Designing circular processes and looking on the best practices already available or under development, including in other EU R&I programmes.
  • Applying circular by design concepts to output materials/products.
• Demonstrate the ‘zero-pollution’ ambition by:
  • Eliminating/minimising hazardous substances from the feedstock, if any.
  • Using safe bio-based substances to substitute hazardous and toxic ones in processes.
  • Re-circulating any process flow such as air/water/energy/chemicals, also looking on the best practices already available or under development, including in other EU R&I programmes.
• Provision for the project integrating ‘safe-and-sustainable-by-design’ generic criteria and framework considerations, in line with the EU Chemicals strategy for sustainability.
• Ensure that the operation of the biorefinery contribute to climate change mitigation, both aiming at negative GHG emissions and at realizing effective carbon removal, either through production of circular bio-based materials and/or carbon storage in nature-based solutions (e.g. reforestation, soil, grasslands, etc.).
• Design the biorefinery operations to include the reduction noise levels.
• Perform a full life cycle assessment of the environmental impacts of the output materials/products.
• Explore the viability of implementing industrial symbiosis, between different installations (respecting the short value chain concept) or other symbiosis (e.g., with municipal waste management) to share and exploit materials and carrier streams and any process flows such as air/water/energy/chemicals, to achieve the ‘zero-waste’ and ‘zero-pollution’ ambition.
• Apply circular by design concepts to output materials/products in the scope of CBE JU.
• Validate integrated monitoring and reporting systems on the effective reduction of pollutant emissions.
• Demonstrate the replicability of the zero-waste biorefinery concept by conducting replication studies under different assumptions (e.g., location, feedstock source) at a proof-of-concept level.
• Assess the contribution of the project to the ‘zero-pollution’ ambition, climate change neutrality and biodiversity protection and restoration targets.