Closecycle
TOWARDS TERRITORIAL BIOREFINERY NETWORKS: Closing cycles by products from residue-based bioresources on regional levels
Project description
CLOSECYCLE pursues a transnational approach in the North Sea Region (NSR) to address cross-border challenges in the field of renewable energy and bioeconomy. 18 partners from the public, private and academic sectors are working together to utilise residue-based bioresources more efficiently and promote local value creation through regional networks. The project aims to enable the closing of local loops and the creation of diverse products for local markets. Together, the CLOSECYCLE team will address the challenges of realising territorial biorefinery networks (TBN) to promote their implementation. The project aims to achieve the following outcomes:
- A digital package to improve local bioresource management.
- An action plan for process cascades with products from residues.
- A general TBN establishment strategy with concept examples.
- Demonstrations of advanced practices in different sectors.
A total of 13 demonstration projects with a wide variety of content are planned. Two demonstration projects are located in Germany. Entsorgungsbetriebe Lübeck (EBL) and Gräflich Bernstorff'sche Betriebe (GBB) will manage these together with the Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH) and the University of Hamburg (UHH). Based on the existing technical infrastructure for the production of biogas and compost from waste materials, possibilities for expanding the range of raw materials and products will be investigated in order to become a nucleus for TBN systems.
Contribution of the University of Hamburg (UHH)
The wood chemistry team at UHH will contribute analytical and technical expertise to the project and lead the work package for generating raw material data and process chains. In the analytical area, experience in the characterisation of bioresources with regard to carbohydrates, lignin and extractives will be contributed. In addition, various raw material streams are analysed to determine which utilisation paths are possible for higher-value products. The focus here is on fibre-based products for packaging, composite materials and peat substitute products. Raw material, product and process data are provided for the databases and, together with the data from the project partners, are used to create the action plan for process cascades.
A key focus is the analysis of impurities in bioresources and bio-based products. Here, the analysis of microplastics is to be realised in order to contribute to the quality assurance of raw materials and products.
Period:
01.01.2024 - 31.12.2027
Funding:
This project is funded by Interreg North Sea.
Co-operation project with 18 partners. Priority 2. A green transition in the North Sea Region 2.4. Further information can be found on the project's website.
https://www.interregnorthsea.eu/closecycle