Contract number

V4-1824

Department:

Department of Animal Science

Type of project

ARIS projects

Type of project

CRP projects

Role

Lead

Duration

01.11.2018 - 31.10.2021

Value of co-financing

€128,000.00

Total

€180,000.00

Project manager at BF

Juvančič Luka

ABSTRACT

According to the EC’s definition (2012), the bioeconomy is an “…economy based on the sustainable production of renewable biological resources and their conversion into food, feed, fibers, materials, chemicals and bioenergy with the use of efficient and innovative technologies”.

The transition to the bioeconomy marks a new paradigm in the organization of business processes. By-products and residues of the manufacturing industry, the primary source of which is biomass, are becoming raw materials in the processes of further conversion of biomass into different products, interconnected in cascade and circular (in terms of energy and material) production cycles.

New biomass deconstruction technologies and the inclusion of the resulting building blocks in bio-based materials (e.g. extracts, nanomaterials, biopolymers) allow entry into new value chains (e.g. health, smart packaging). The cascade process of biomass processing from food and bio-based products to final energy use is relevant both from the perspective of sustainable use of renewable carbon (waste production, closed energy loops) as well as in terms of economic efficiency (achieving higher total value added) and economic growth (multiplier effects on income and employment).

Multisectoral integration is a key characteristic of the bioeconomy. Therefore, for a competitive, dynamic and sustainable bioeconomy, policies need to be fully integrated in a number of areas (eg agri-food, forestry, energy, environment, science, technological development). All these areas have their own operating principles, research needs and innovations, which are however interconnected and complementary in the bioeconomy, encouraging the emergence of new products, processes and technologies. In order to accelerate the transition to a circular bioeconomy, a strategic approach is needed and the development of stimulating support environment, enhanced stakeholder integration and intensive integration into international value chains.

The project focuses on two primary sources of biomass, namely agricultural and forest-wood biomass, which, in accordance with the cascading use of materials, also include the flows of secondary and by-products resulting from the processing (eg food and wood processing industry, paper industry) or the consumption of these two primary sources (eg, timber, discarded food).

The purpose of this project is to:

  1. Provide data support to better exploit the opportunities brought about by the transition to the bioeconomy
  2. Support decision-makers in institutions whose activities determine the dynamics and intensity of Slovenia's transition to the bioeconomy (enterprises, research and development institutions and public decision-makers).

The objectives of the research are to:

  1. Describe the broader social and technological context and the challenges of transition to the bioeconomy
  2. Present the characteristics and interactions between the elements of the bioeconomy system in Slovenia
  3. Present the technological possibilities for extraction, decommissioning and industrial use of biomass and to identify the critical points for the establishment of more comprehensive chains of biomass
  4. Present social and organizational innovations that generate new business opportunities, concepts and models
  5. Prepare a set of activities ('bioeconomy industries') whose production can be based on agricultural and forest biomass and the related residues of industrial processes and consumption
  6. Assess the extent to which the economic operators of these industries already include biomass or bio-based raw materials in production processes and which factors influence such adjustments
  7. Identify economic, environmental and social factors that guide the development of the bioeconomy in Slovenia and assess the level of organizational and technological competence for the expansion of the bioeconomy

 

THE PHASES OF THE PROJECT AND REALIZATION

Work in the project will take place in six work packages (WP).

  • In the first year WP1 - Context, options and current state of the bioeconomy in Slovenia will be implemented.
  • The second year WP2 - The raw material base, resource utilization and analysis of the gaps in the development of the bioeconomy in Slovenia will be completed.
  • The third year will be dedicated to WP3 - Connecting actors into Communities of Practice, scenarios of the development of the bioeconomy in Slovenia and
  • WP4 - Proposal for support measures and accompanying activities of Slovenia's transition to the bioeconomy.
  • WP5 - Communication and dissemination of results, integration into international cooperation networks and
  • WP6 - Project coordination and management will take place throughout the duration of the project. The WP5 will continue even after the project is completed.

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