Among the 12 winners of the Étoiles de l’Europe (Stars of Europe) prizes this year are two bioeconomy projects led by INRAE, with a focus on the reduction of waste for a circular economy. According to the French Agency for Ecological Transition (ADEME), a circular economy is an economic system of exchange and production that seeks to use resources more efficiently and reduce environmental impact while enhancing individual well-being at all product lifecycle stages (for both goods and services).

The Stars

Special jury prize - Zero Waste Lignocellulosic Biorefineries by Integrated Lignin Valorisation: ZELCOR

ZELCOR follows a circular economy approach, with the aim to convert industrial co-products from wood and straw into high value-added bioproducts for cosmetics, packaging and chemistry. The co-products studied were lignin-rich residues left over from paper pulp and bioethanol production, as well as humins derived from sugar. These waste products are insoluble and are not easily broken down by common biomass treatments. To overcome these difficulties, various chemical and biological processes were combined within a vertically integrated system. The system includes insect-based streams that convert residues into chitin for pharmaceutical, cosmetic, packaging and animal feed applications.

Open Science prize - the No Agricultural Waste project develops innovative approaches to turn agricultural waste into ecological  and economic assets: NoAW

The aim of this project is to identify innovative approaches based on circular economy principles to reduce and put to use all the waste generated by the agricultural and food sectors. New knowledge, methods and tools have been developed to turn waste from wheat (straw), livestock (manure) or winegrowing (vine shoots) into eco-friendly bioplastics, biofertilisers and biogas.

The DIVA project (boosting innovative digitech value chains for agrifood, forestry and environment) coordinated by the Agri Sud-Ouest Innovation competitiveness hub also received a prize. INRAE is proud of this honour, which was received one month after the signature of a partnership agreement between INRAE and the Agri Sud-Ouest Innovation and Valorial competitiveness hubs to speed up innovation in the agricultural and agri-food sectors.

Tangible applications

ZELCOR designed new processes and products at both the lab and pilot levels. The pluridisciplinary knowledge generated by the project has been transferred to industrial players in five promising value chains. Some of the key achievements include the production of a new enzyme that increases lignin solubility, new packaging materials that repel insects and fully biobased nanocomposites, the demonstration of the potential of lignin and humin products as active ingredients in cosmetics (anti-UV, antioxidants), and the design of a bioreactor driven by termites fed using lignocellulosic waste which should offer economic benefits in the near future.

Among NoAW’s results are many prototypes (49) and pilot plants (113), including three that are under development and in the process of commercialisation by SMEs. One major breakthrough was the creation of a two-phase pilot anaerobic digestion unit at a vineyard in Verona, Italy. The unit converts manure, straw and winegrowing waste into biogas for the car industry and natural gas network, and into digestate and volatile fatty acids for the integrated production of a biodegradable polyester in natural conditions.

Diversity, openness and continuity of European research

Transferring knowledge and strengthening the connection between research and training were two key priorities for ZELCOR. Doctoral candidates, postdoctoral fellows, engineers and graduate students were involved in the project. The project led to the creation of a European master’s degree and an open-access e-book . The work carried out within the European thematic networks since 2003 gave Stéphanie Baumberger, professor at AgroParisTech, an opportunity to set up a research consortium following the collaborative efforts. The project’s European dimension provided the necessary complementary expertise and stakeholders to keep it firmly anchored in the reality of the European bioeconomy by capitalising on biorefineries that are under development. For Stéphanie Baumberger, this prize recognises the commitment of her research team and long-term collaborators to develop a research topic that can unite teams and inspire innovation.

The multi-stakeholder and multidisciplinary approach used by NoAW was strengthened by its international scope. NoAW brought together 32 academic and industrial partners from Europe, China and Taiwan. The project was coordinated by research director Nathalie Gontard, who previously received a Stars of Europe prize in 2015 for the EcoBioCAP project. The network of partners created for that project was further expanded for NoAW. Drawing on the ties forged via this network of Chinese partners, another project is expected to come to fruition as part of Horizon Europe. For Nathalie Gontard, this Stars of Europe prize is both an acknowledgement and encouragement to pursue our work beyond our borders.