The European Commission, through CORDIS, has released the results of BioUPGRADE, a now-completed research project into new applications of natural polymers from biomass. The project focused on the use of cellulose, hemicellulose, and chitin in, among other things, packaging materials, conductive inks, and hydrogels. BioUPGRADE ran from 2021 to the end of 2025 and was led by…
Starting February 17, 2026, researchers and companies can apply for a total budget of nearly €7,7 million for innovation projects in the chemical sector. ChemistryNL has opened the 2026 PPP-I call for public-private partnerships focused on the transition to renewable raw materials and circular production processes. With this funding, ChemistryNL is encouraging research into solutions for the…
A new British-Ukrainian initiative is using miscanthus (elephant grass) to restore and sustain Ukraine's fragile energy supply. The project, called MERIT, focuses on utilizing abandoned and contaminated land. The goal is twofold: to create a reliable, decentralized energy source for reconstruction and to restore soil quality. Terravesta, a British company specializing…
BoerenNatuur and LTO Nederland are publishing a guideline that aims to bridge the gap between pilot projects and policy within the Common Agricultural Policy. The core principle is simple: ensure that pilot projects and policy work together systematically from the outset, organize process management, and ensure that promising outcomes are truly implemented in regulations and practice. Between 2021 and 2024, 22 pilot projects were conducted…
Fortress Island Pampus has released a short film that shows in ten minutes how the island generates its own energy. The production was created by Strawberry Fields on behalf of GasTerra and is available online. The core is self-energy, living off what's available, with sun, wind, biomass, and hydrogen used in conjunction...
The De Rusthoeve experimental farm in Colijnsplaat will receive €180.000 from the Province of Zeeland. The funds will be used to continue the Biobased Innovation Gardens Rusthoeve. This will allow research into crops that can replace fossil fuels. The province announced the contribution during the Biobased Acceleration Day at De Rusthoeve on September 2nd. Provincial Executive members Jo…
The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO.nl) is looking for entrepreneurs who can produce high-quality building materials from Dutch bio-based raw materials. The new Innovation Impact Challenge "Biobased Building Materials from Dutch Soil" has been open since August 27th. Anyone wishing to participate must submit a short Expression of Interest by 23:13.00 PM on Tuesday, September 1,8rd. The total budget is €XNUMX million.
Biotech Booster, the valorisation programme supported by the National Growth Fund, is receiving a boost of €196,4 million to accelerate groundbreaking biotechnologies from lab to market. Within this fund, the transition to sustainable bio-based raw materials and biomass plays a recognisable role, in addition to applications in the areas of health, nutrition and the environment. Biotech Booster stimulates starting biotech entrepreneurs…
The aviation industry is under pressure to operate faster, more efficiently and, above all, more sustainably. Aircraft are increasingly made of lightweight composite materials, which contribute to lower fuel consumption. But these same materials are vulnerable to damage, for example from hail, collisions on the ground or rough baggage handling. Repairs are often time-consuming, expensive and lead to unnecessary waste of parts.…
A project has been launched in France to use residual heat from a data centre to produce biomass. The initiative, led by data centre operator Data4 in collaboration with the Fondation de l'Université Paris-Saclay and start-up Blue Planet Ecosystems, is the first step towards a new generation of biocircular data centres. Data centres are the backbone of the digital…
Biobased materials are rapidly gaining ground in the construction sector, but to what extent are they also biodegradable? This is the central question in a practical study currently taking place at the Living Greenlab in Den Bosch. According to a report from MNEXT.nl, two materials specialists are investigating how different forms of mycelium biocomposites behave in natural soil conditions. Researchers Paula Jerez…
Methanol is a versatile and much sought-after chemical building block. It is used as a raw material for plastics, adhesives, antifreezes and fuels. But methanol is also a problem child: the vast majority is produced from fossil sources such as natural gas and coal, resulting in substantial CO₂ emissions. This can be done differently, TNO states in a recent article: biomethanol, made from…
The dairy industry annually produces large volumes of whey permeate – a residual flow that has little economic value. While the protein-rich part of whey finds its way into food or animal feed, the sugar-rich and mineral part often remains as a low-value waste product. Yet this liquid holds surprising potential for the biobased industry. It…
The European agricultural sector is highly dependent on imported, non-renewable fertilizers. This dependency makes food production vulnerable to supply chain disruptions and leads to rising costs. At the same time, the excessive use of fertilizers contributes to environmental problems such as water pollution, soil degradation and greenhouse gas emissions. The European project ReLEAF aims to develop…
In the transition to a circular and biobased economy, biomass plays an essential role. It not only offers sustainable solutions, but also increases self-sufficiency and reduces dependence on fossil sources outside Europe. To facilitate this transition, TNO and its partners have developed the advanced biorefinery technology Fabiola. This technology converts various biomass residual flows into…
Statistics Netherlands (CBS), in collaboration with the Royal Association of the Dutch Chemical Industry (VNCI) and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), has conducted a pilot study into the use of biomass as a raw material. This study, based on data from the 2023 reporting year, marks an important step in monitoring the…
One of the first municipalities in Denmark is exploring the potential of biochar to reduce CO₂ emissions and improve the urban environment in an EU-funded experiment. The Danish municipality of Vallensbæk is taking an innovative step in its climate policy with a pilot project testing the use of biochar in urban landscaping. The goal? Reduced water and…
In the ambitious CIRCUROAD program, Rijkswaterstaat, companies, governments and knowledge institutions are working together to develop and apply fossil-free, biobased asphalt on all Dutch roads. On December 4, 2024, this unique chain collaboration reached an important milestone: the construction of three test sections with biobased asphalt on the InnovA58. Replacing fossil bitumen with biobased binder The Netherlands produces…
Last week, the PHA2USE project was concluded at the Greenwise Campus Innovation Center, together with the consortium partners. This project has made a significant contribution to the scaling up of technologies for the production of PHA from sewage sludge and has shown that this can be a viable business model. Positive results Over the past four years,…
Dutch inland shipping can achieve a significant CO2 reduction in the short term by blending FAME (Fatty Acid Methyl Esters), reports TNO. In order to further investigate the possibilities and possible risks of this biofuel, TNO is starting a one-year field test. The aim is to inform the sector objectively about the safe application…
Two students from the Technical University of Munich have founded an innovative start-up that converts hop waste into sustainable building materials. The inspiration came in 2022, when they were having a beer in their dorm room discussing the use of banana fibers for building materials in Colombia. The students, Marlene Stechl and Thomas Rojas Sonderegger, thought about…
Within the ambitious CIRCUROAD program, companies, governments and knowledge institutions are working together on a sustainable future for the Dutch infrastructure. Led by Rijkswaterstaat, which has been hosting since the end of 2023, the program focuses on developing circular asphalt. This innovative asphalt is characterized by the replacement of the fossil binder bitumen…
The Netherlands is increasingly taking steps in the use of renewable energy sources, such as wind turbines, solar panels, geothermal heat, heat pumps and biomass. But how does the generation of sustainable energy actually work? On the Open Energy Day, which takes place on 21 September, you will have the opportunity to discover this for yourself! Various locations and projects will open their doors throughout the Netherlands…
The agricultural sector is facing major challenges due to increasing sustainability requirements and restrictions on the use of water, fertilizers and crop protection products. At the same time, the demand for natural building materials with a low carbon footprint is growing from the construction sector. In this context, the cultivation of biobased building materials, such as the fast-growing Paulownia tree, is emerging as a promising new revenue model for…
According to a recent article in Future Rethinker Magazine, the Interreg “ReJuice” project takes an innovative step towards full utilization of green residual flows from agriculture and horticulture. The project, in which MNEXT's Biobased Resources & Energy professorship is closely involved, focuses on valuing the juice fraction released during the processing of...
The construction sector faces an enormous challenge: by 2030, CO2 emissions must be halved compared to 1990. An important step in this transition is switching from fossil raw materials to sustainable alternatives, or bio-based construction. The Better Biobased Building Blocks project will work over the next 3 years to develop green building materials based on...
The Moerdijk Port Authority and biocommodities producer Perpetual Next today signed a letter of intent for an intensive collaboration. As part of this collaboration, Perpetual Next will establish itself at the Moerdijk Industrial Park in mid-2025, where it will build a biomethanol plant with a capacity of 220.000 tons. The port authority will support the factory where possible by…
A high-profile development in the construction sector has been introduced: the latest version of the modular, wooden building system WikiHouse. “An innovation that offers plenty of opportunities for the entire construction industry in the Netherlands,” says Nick Gevers of Hendriks Bouw en Ontwikkeling. Hendriks is now extensively investigating the possibilities of this open source building system, together with Avans University of Applied Sciences (Den Bosch/Tilburg) and…
This year the Open Energy Day is being organized for the fourth time. On September 21, 2024, interested parties can visit various sustainable energy projects throughout the Netherlands. Visitors have the unique opportunity to take a look at wind turbines, solar parks, heating installations, high-voltage stations and other sustainable energy projects. More than sixty locations are expected to open their doors for…
Can bank protection be made of both natural material and circular? An innovative pilot is investigating this question in the context of the SBIR call for Biobased and Circular Bank Protection. Two promising materials, willow wicker and biocomposite, are being tested for their durability and effectiveness. The test location in Hellouw, Gelderland, was officially opened in May. At a ditch along the wharf…
Wood is widely used for the production of everyday goods such as building materials, furniture, packaging materials and even textiles. Bark, which makes up 10-15% of a tree trunk, is a byproduct of wood processing and has only current value in energy production. What if softwood bark could be turned into a valuable source of…
Leading Japanese Companies, NYK Line (NYK), NYK Bulk & Projects Carriers (NBP), TSUNEISHI SHIPBUILDING Co., Ltd. (“TSUNEISHI SHIPBUILDING”) and British renewable energy company Drax Group (Drax) have signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop both the world's first biomass-powered ship (bioship) and the technology that powers it could be…
If you are looking for bioaromatic samples (derived from sugar or lignin) to test in your products and/or if you could use application development support ranging from feasibility studies to prototype/pilot scale, BIO-CAPPP offers project SME innovation vouchers to support your innovations. BIO-CAPPP project partners VITO, Centexbel and TNO can…
The 2nd edition of the four-day Biobased Battle took place in March. 142 students from 7 different colleges in the Netherlands and Finland worked in multidisciplinary teams on corporate sustainability issues. The target? Presenting the best practical biobased solutions! The Biobased Battle 2024 is organized by Avans/MNEXT, HAN, HZ, Karelia, LAB, OAMK and…
Covestro is moving forward for the first time with the implementation of a unique process for the production of the important chemical aniline, based entirely on vegetable biomass instead of petroleum. The plastics manufacturer has now started using a special pilot plant at its location in Leverkusen. Initially, large quantities of biobased aniline…
Four Testing Gardens were recently realized in the Hoftoren in The Hague within the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW). An important goal of this adjustment was to give the spaces a more attractive appearance, so that people enjoy coming to the office. Application of innovative and biobased materials increases the quality of experience. It…
The 2nd period of the subsidy, in which the province of North Brabant encourages and facilitates companies to work towards a sustainable, innovative and circular industry, is open. It is possible to apply for a subsidy until April 10, 2024. Download the infographic in original format The subsidy can be applied for for a breakthrough project with a…
Groningen BioBTX, TU Eindhoven and the Groningen government have received a subsidy of €2,8 million from the Just Transition Fund (JTF) with the help of ASQA Subsidies. The Just Transition Fund (JTF) recently awarded financial support for an ambitious project related to sustainable technology in the Netherlands. This subsidy is intended for the implementation…
With an inspiring graduation pitch, Melissa Luwema, former student of architecture at the Vlissingen HZ University of Applied Sciences, manages to convince the audience of the future of biobased construction. Her practical research into sustainable and cost-saving biobased solutions has earned her a regional incentive prize. She graduated this summer - and wants to advise municipalities and agencies about biobased.…
Last week, a maze of meter-high fiber hemp plants was festively opened in Workum (Friesland). Not just for playing; it is also an educational attraction that shows how hemp fiber grows, which biobased building products can be made from it and what positive impact the plant has on the soil and biodiversity. The biobased maze came…
On Friday, July 7, the architectural firms Studio Nauta & Mulder Zonderland won the design competition 'Biobased and nature-inclusive construction on the Nieuwe Veemarkt in Zwolle'. In its jury report, the jury called it 'an integral and balanced plan that gives well-considered attention to each of the many challenges the Veemarkt faces'. Councilor Gerdien Rots van…
A new border region project that will recruit, train, retrain and further train young people and adults for professions to make the energy transition possible has started. For the next 3 years, Avans University of Applied Sciences will be the coordinator of the Energy(k) Education project that is being implemented under the Interreg program Flanders Netherlands with a subsidy from the European Regional Development Fund…
A first at Provada. BAM Wonen, Staatsbosbeheer and IBI2 present the first 100% biobased and recycled panel material. The agreement was previously signed for joint production, processing and processing. In this special collaboration, residual wood flows from Dutch forests, BAM construction sites and the sawing sheds of the TABS Group are processed into biobased chipboards...
Uniper wants to develop a factory for the production of syngas at Chemelot. This sustainable gas can replace natural gas in chemical production processes. Biomass is torrefied via a scalable process and then converted into syngas. This process produces biogenic CO2, which is used to produce sustainable chemicals. This makes syngas an important element in the green...
Four international startups have won the Seaweed Innovation Challenge by presenting their seaweed-based food and packaging innovations. The pitch competition, which took place on Thursday, June 8 in the Oude Kerk in Scheveningen, was part of the first edition of North Sea Seaweed, an event of the seaweed trade organization North Sea Farmers. The winners…
SPIE Netherlands is participating in the first Dutch modular factory that converts sewage sludge into biofuel. During Maintenance NEXT, the technology and maintenance fair of the Benelux, SPIE and C-Green have just signed a cooperation agreement to possibly realize such a factory. The innovative installation – developed by C-Green – uses wet biomass (sludge)…
After 10 years of leading the way in stimulating the biobased and circular economy in the Southwest Netherlands (and far beyond), Circular Biobased Delta (CBBD) will conclude its activities with a closing meeting on July 6, 2023. CBBD started in 2012 as Biobased Delta based on 'Agro meets chemistry': agriculture was seen as…
Developments in the field of energy transition and industrial greening require efforts in large-scale, sustainable innovation. That is why Energy & Climate has been set up, a regional innovation program in South Holland to stimulate and realize sustainable innovation. The program supports entrepreneurs in testing and demonstrating new technologies and making innovations market-ready by using...
A water pipe made from old frying fat, wood pulp and sugar cane residues; for the first time in the Netherlands, such a biobased water pipe is going into the ground. And no, the water won't taste like deep fryers. 'The pipe is chemically exactly the same as the standard PVC pipe, but the raw materials are all biobased,' says Hanneke van de Ven...
IEA Bioenergy Task42 (Biorefining in the Circular Economy) aims to improve the commercialization and market development of biorefinery systems and associated technologies, taking into account environmental, social and economic aspects. Integrated assessment (technical, economic and environmental TEE assessment) of integrated biorefineries is carried out to provide quantitative, scientifically sound and understandable data on the technical,…
German researchers at the University of Hohenheim see grass as a new protein source that can be used for pig and poultry farming. In the ProGrün project they are not only investigating how grass can be used to obtain high-quality proteins for feeding poultry and pigs, but also for a range of other high-quality materials. Grass contains…
The Netherlands wants to be climate neutral by 2050 at the latest. To plan the way forward, Rob Jetten, Minister for Climate and Energy, has created the Energy System 2050 Expert Team. Next spring, the expert team will present the National Energy System Plan 2050, in which it outlines what the economy and society could look like in 2050...
An extraordinary multidisciplinary and multinational team will work together over the next 42 months to develop innovative and sustainable processes to produce biofuels from organic waste with negative emissions. CARBIOW (Carbon Negative Biofuels from Organic Waste) is a research and innovation group funded by the European Union under the Horizon Europe programme…
Rethink Waste Student Challenge 2023 With the Rething Waste Student Challenge, Wageningen University & Research challenges students to develop a circular biobased solution for a current waste problem. This could be anything: a business idea that contributes to a world without waste, a prototype of a product made from biomass, or a new…
German paper manufacturer WEPA is introducing two new raw material innovations as part of the fiber concept within its sustainability strategy. Firstly, fibers extracted from recycled cardboard, which can be made into particularly soft and durable hygiene paper products through an innovative production process. Secondly, a raw material innovation based on Miscanthus, one of the most sustainable primary fibers in the world, which so far…
On Thursday, November 3, the Province of Zeeland and Rijkswaterstaat are organizing a webinar about the opportunities and possibilities of biobased applications in infrastructure. Biobased products are being discussed in more and more places and in projects. Rijkswaterstaat and the Province of Zeeland will also focus more on this in the coming years. In a number of projects, biobased products…
Since July 1, the Bio-Economy Platform has had a coordinating role in the further development of the BioEnergy export group. This new role has been agreed with the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) and trade organization FME. Thirty Dutch companies with export ambitions are members of the BioEnergy export group. RVO and FME support these companies in their export plans. Platform Bio-Economy…
Beer brewer Grolsch has successfully produced the first green gas from its own wastewater. A green gas installation has been installed on the brewery grounds that will produce 1 million Nm3 of green gas from biogas annually. This corresponds to the gas consumption of approximately 700 households in Twente. Green gas, a sustainable replacement for fossil natural gas,…
Industry has a major role to play in achieving the climate goals in 2050. To make it completely sustainable, two things are inextricably linked: the use of sustainable energy and the reuse of raw materials. The process industry and chemistry in particular face the challenge of continuing to produce useful products in the future...
Biobased raw materials are already available, and they are increasing. Especially in construction, it is no longer necessary to work with fossil, environmentally harmful materials that are also starting to become scarce. They know this better than anyone at the Biobased Innovation Garden in Colijnsplaat (Zeeland). Since 2014, we have been working on the cultivation…
Everyone has their creative side. Everyone is confronted with the bioeconomy in their daily lives. Every vision on the bioeconomy is unique. Are you a creative person between the ages of 14 and 35, do you live legally in the EU or Ukraine and are you interested in bioeconomy and/or bioeconomy related areas (food systems, forestry, climate change, rural development, blue bioeconomy… )? Carry…
Staatsbosbeheer, construction company BAM Wonen, IBI2, Pontmeyer and Jongeneel have signed an agreement for the joint production, processing and processing of 75.000 square meters of 100% biobased and recycled sheet material for residential construction. The raw material for this is residual wood from Dutch forests and from the construction site. Staatsbosbeheer wants to recycle residual flows from Dutch nature reserves, such as clippings and branches and…
GIDARA Energy and the Port of Rotterdam Authority are pleased to announce GIDARA's next advanced biofuel facility in the Netherlands: Advanced Methanol Rotterdam (“AMR”). The plant, located in the port of Rotterdam, will convert non-recyclable waste into advanced methanol. The advanced methanol achieves CO 2 emission reductions as described in the Renewable Energy Directive II (RED II) and…
RWE will take over the gas-fired power plant called 'Magnum' from Vattenfall. This gas-fired power station is located in the Eemshaven in the province of Groningen. The two companies have agreed to this. The power plant, which has been in operation since 2013, is an ultra-modern gas power plant and has a capacity of 1.4 gigawatts. The Magnum power station is close to the existing…
Enviva Inc., the world's largest producer of sustainable wood bioenergy, and MOL Drybulk Ltd. (MOLDB), a subsidiary of Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd. (MOL), a leading global maritime transport group, announced that they have signed a supplementary memorandum of understanding to deploy an environmentally friendly bulk carrier (EFBC) to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in…
Scientists at the US Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have developed an innovative flow cell reactor that can refine sewage into valuable chemicals while simultaneously generating hydrogen that can be used to power vehicles or generate heat. This refinement process is potentially CO2 neutral and could ultimately even be CO2 negative. Led by Juan A.…
A lot of plastic waste such as agricultural foil or crisp bags cannot now be recycled because it is too dirty or consists of multiple layers. The PyroCHEM project aims to make the chemical industry more sustainable by optimizing and scaling up the chemical recycling of plastic waste and the pyrolysis of other (biomass) residual flows. The ambition: annually from 2030…
Among the many problems with plastic, it's manufactured from a fossil resource. The BBI JU-funded EUCALIVA project has developed a sustainable alternative that grows on trees. Lignin is a natural polymer present in most plants. Since one of its main functions is stiffening, rigid plants such as trees generally contain large amounts. Humans have not traditionally valued…
