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Project

A new value chain for the Flemish bio-economy through inventive wood refining towards highly valuable agro-industrial chemicals (BIOWOOD).

The BioWood project aims at boosting the economic and environmental performance of the Flemish bio- economy by providing the knowledge base to create a novel wood-based value chain for the chemical and agro-industries. This value chain will be based on inventive conversion technologies, starting from local, inexpensive and available woody biomass resources and targeting highly valuable agro-industrial applications. The main objectives are: (i) detailed inventory of currently available woody biomass feedstock from forests, landscapes, imports and waste flows in Flanders, and determination of their current value to develop a a spatio- temporal optimisation tool for the best allocation of woody biomass and best location of a new biofactory in Flanders using sustainability and cost efficiency criteria; (ii) Design of a flexible refinery process for complex and variable lignocellulose feeds to synthesise novel organic products for agro-industrial applications; (iii) Proof-of-concept of novel products for agro-industrial applications with a performance at least equalling the performance of current agro-industrial products; (iv) techno-economic and real options analysis of the entire value chain of a bio-based production unit, from woody biomass feedstock to agro-industrial products by analysis of uncertainties and flexibility options.
Date:1 Jan 2018 →  31 Dec 2021
Keywords:CAPITAL INVESTMENT ANALYSIS, INNOVATIONS, AGRO FORESTRY, ECONOMY AND ENVIRONMENT
Disciplines:Applied economics, Environmental impact and risk assessment, Environmental management, Agricultural and natural resource economics, environmental and ecological economics
Project type:Collaboration project