Start date: 01/05/2023

Duration: 48 months

Topic: HORIZON-JU-CBE-2022-R-05

Total budget: EUR 4 479 506,25

Website: https://biolush.eu/

Bio-LUSH project aims to demonstrate a reliable value chain that exploit the cell wall structure of underexplored plant resources (forest residues, marine plants and weeds) in Europe to extract high quality fibres. The plant selection, combined with traditional breeding, efficient valorisation routes and products specific tuning of fibre properties supported by advanced fibre characterisation will ensure high value fibres with short term potential for market entry, directed towards sustainable biobased products as textiles, food packaging and reinforced composites. The project will contribute to the retention of value of the EU’s fibrous biomass and the growth of European fibrous bioeconomy for revitalising farmers community suffering from desertification or experiencing socio-economic difficulties. The extended and circular use of the plant biomass will also contribute to decarbonization and reduced eutrofication.

The goal is to develop a scalable process which will enable an as high biomass-product net value as from the kraft process but with significantly lower enough capital investment to enable the utilization of large but distributed biomass. To accomplish sustainability goals with respect to the valorization step, the project will use in a first step mild alkaline digestion followed by enzymatic and ozone bleaching treatment, and this process will furthermore generate bleaching effluents free of chlorinated organic matter that are easily degradable.

The process will have low capital expenditure, even for small productions. This means that it will be more suitable for processing materials collected regionally, which reduces transport costs and greenhouse gas emissions. Another objective is to scale up biofibres that meet tailored processing and performance needs in the manufacturing sector. These fibres will be used for melt processing, spinning, 3D printing, and other manufacturing processes. The project also intends to exhibit that Bio-LUSH (nano)fibres can be readily converted to high-value materials, such as high-quality fibres for textiles, food packaging, and composites. From the start industrial partners are actively engaged in the transition to a biofibrous economy as a form of sustainable lifestyle for future generations. Bio-LUSH will push the biobased economy beyond the state-of the art by using biofibrous economy as the driver.