Sustainable residues
BioCORE works with lignocellulosic residues from agroforestry, industrial food processing, nutraceutical and cosmetics extraction, and cereal processing. The project focuses on residues that do not compete with food supply chains.
Purification
After fractionation, the process produces liquid mixtures called hydrolysate streams. These contain valuable sugars, but also other substances that need to be removed. Purification means cleaning and concentrating these streams to obtain higher quality sugar streams. The aim is to collect C5 and C6 sugars, two types of plant sugars that can be used as building blocks for making new bio based products.
C6 sugar conversion
C6 sugars are sugars with six carbon atoms, such as glucose. In BioCORE, these sugars will support biotechnological conversion, meaning living organisms or natural biological processes are used to create useful products. This includes using microalgae to produce biostimulants, which help crops grow better, and bacterial cellulose coatings, which are natural protective layers made by bacteria.
Water & solvent recovery
BioCORE aims to recover and reuse water and solvents during the process. Solvents are liquids used to dissolve, separate or extract useful substances. Technologies such as membrane filtration, pervaporation, membrane distillation and heat pump assisted distillation help separate valuable liquids from waste streams, so they can be used again instead of being lost.
Fractionation
At the first processing stage, the biomass is separated into its main natural components: cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. This step is called fractionation. BioCORE uses ultrasound assisted fractionation, meaning sound waves help break the biomass apart more efficiently, to reduce the energy needed for this important step.
C5 sugar conversion
C5 sugars are sugars with five carbon atoms. In BioCORE, they can be upgraded through catalytic conversion, meaning a catalyst helps trigger chemical reactions more efficiently. These reactions can produce FDCA, a renewable chemical building block that can be used to make PEF, a bio based material for food packaging.
Renewable energy & Al control
The process chain will be supported by renewable electricity, energy storage and Al-enabled digital optimisation. The digital layer will use process data, energy forecasts and quality indicators to support flexible operation without compromising product quality.
Sustainable residues
BioCORE works with lignocellulosic residues from agroforestry, industrial food processing, nutraceutical and cosmetics extraction, and cereal processing. The project focuses on residues that do not compete with food supply chains.
Purification
After fractionation, the process produces liquid mixtures called hydrolysate streams. These contain valuable sugars, but also other substances that need to be removed. Purification means cleaning and concentrating these streams to obtain higher quality sugar streams. The aim is to collect C5 and C6 sugars, two types of plant sugars that can be used as building blocks for making new bio based products.
C6 sugar conversion
C6 sugars are sugars with six carbon atoms, such as glucose. In BioCORE, these sugars will support biotechnological conversion, meaning living organisms or natural biological processes are used to create useful products. This includes using microalgae to produce biostimulants, which help crops grow better, and bacterial cellulose coatings, which are natural protective layers made by bacteria.
Water & solvent recovery
BioCORE aims to recover and reuse water and solvents during the process. Solvents are liquids used to dissolve, separate or extract useful substances. Technologies such as membrane filtration, pervaporation, membrane distillation and heat pump assisted distillation help separate valuable liquids from waste streams, so they can be used again instead of being lost.
Fractionation
At the first processing stage, the biomass is separated into its main natural components: cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. This step is called fractionation. BioCORE uses ultrasound assisted fractionation, meaning sound waves help break the biomass apart more efficiently, to reduce the energy needed for this important step.
C5 sugar conversion
C5 sugars are sugars with five carbon atoms. In BioCORE, they can be upgraded through catalytic conversion, meaning a catalyst helps trigger chemical reactions more efficiently. These reactions can produce FDCA, a renewable chemical building block that can be used to make PEF, a bio based material for food packaging.
Renewable energy & Al control
The process chain will be supported by renewable electricity, energy storage and Al-enabled digital optimisation. The digital layer will use process data, energy forecasts and quality indicators to support flexible operation without compromising product quality.