CLOSECYCLE

CLOSECYCLE tackles the challenges of resource depletion, the bioeconomy and the need to change land use. Agriculture and the rural and urban lifestyles of our Western societies generate significant volumes of waste and organic by-products, the recovery of which is a major challenge. However, there are still a number of technical hurdles to overcome, and the organisation of players and stakeholders at local level is still insufficient to develop innovative and economically viable ways of recovering waste. An approach based on global knowledge and regional cooperation is being applied because these challenges transcend borders.

In this context, the CLOSECYCLE project is developing a transnational approach within the North Sea Region (NSR), involving 18 European partners from the public, private and academic sectors wishing to address the challenges associated with the necessary transition to renewable energies and the bioeconomy.

The aim of the project is to make more efficient use of bioresources based on residues/wastes/coproducts using regional networks. Numerous local residues and technically feasible cascade processes will be studied to develop a wide range of products for local markets. The aim is to demonstrate the possibility of closing local cycles in conjunction with local value creation. More directly, the project aims to achieve the following results: (i) A set of tools and digital resources to improve local management of bioresources, (ii) An action guide for creating cascade processes for the valorisation of crop or household residues, (iii) Demonstrations of advanced practices in different sectors.

BIA is taking an active part in this project, focusing more specifically on the case study of cider production and processing, in which the PRP, MC2, ELIPS and PVPP teams are involved. The IFPC (Institut Français de Production Cidricoles) and UR INRAE OPAALE are also partners. In particular, the aim is to explore new ways of stabilising and extracting cider apple pomace in cascade to extract molecular fractions with high added value (polyphenols, polysaccharides, cutins). The residues from these processes will be assessed for their methanisation and/or composting potential (OPAALE). Other co-products from the sector (clarification residues, pruning wood, etc.) will also be explored.

The challenge will also be to evaluate upstream the integration of a biorefinery based on these processes on the scale of the Brittany region. To do this, the project includes a survey of available cider bioresources and their current uses, as well as pilot-scale demonstration trials. This part of the project will involve the various socio-economic players in the cider industry.

Contacts: Sylvain Guyot & Kamal Kansou