Deadline: 22-Sep-22
The European Commission (EC) is offering grants to deploy solutions with the highest circularity levels, while extracting maximum value from the bio-based feedstock to produce bio-based products in the scope of CBE and prevent and control any pollution from bio-based industries.
The EU Bioeconomy Strategy sets the circularity and the environmental protection at the basis of the modernisation of bio-based industries in the Union, to ensure a trustful green transition of EU economy away from a linear fossil-based system.
Details
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).
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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.
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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.
- Evaluate the socio-economic impacts on local communities of the proposed solutions.
- Apply and/or adapt existing/mature or novel digital technologies, provided that they are instrumental to achieving the project’s outcomes and scope, especially to ensure high standards of resource efficiency and environmental protection.
Funding Information
The check will normally be done for the coordinator if the requested grant amount is equal to or greater than EUR 500 000, except for:
- public bodies (entities established as a public body under national law, including local, regional or national authorities) or international organisations; and
- cases where the individual requested grant amount is not more than EUR 60 000 (lowvalue grant).
Expected Outcomes
Project results should contribute to the following expected outcomes:
- Enhanced sustainability and circularity performance of bio-based systems realising the ‘zero-waste’, ‘zero-pollution’ ambition.
- Revitalised communities of the bioeconomy by creating new green jobs and investments.
- Deployed industrial symbiosis.
- Integrated pollution prevention and control in bio-based systems of air, water, soil and noise levels.
- Public awareness and acceptance of bio-based solutions.
- Support market uptake growth and acceptance of scalable bio-based solutions.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.:
- the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions;
- the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States;
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eligible non-EU countries:
- countries associated to Horizon Europe;
- low- and middle-income countries.
For more information, visit European Commission.
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