UNRAVEL
UNRAVEL
"UNique Refinery Approach to Valorise European Lignocellulosics"
| Programme | CBE-JU, Horizon Europe, BBI.2017.R2 |
| Category | Research and Innovation Action (RIA) |
| Status | Completed |
| Period | 2018 - 2022 |
| Partners | 13 |
| Budget | €3.72m |
| Links | Website, Cordis, CBE-JU, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook |
The UNRAVEL project (UNique Refinery Approach to Valorise European Lignocellulosics) is
funded with 3.6 million euros by the Biomass Based Industries Joint Undertaking and will run from June 2018 until May 2022.
The project addresses topic 2017.R2 of the 2017 BBI Work Programme - "Innovative technologies for the pre-treatment and serparation of lignocellulosic feedstock and complex composition streams into valuable fractions while maintaining key characteristics".
It focuses on the demonstration, at pilot-scale, of the FABIOLA pretreatment process for the production of (fine) chemicals, fuels and high-value lignin applications through an economically-feasible biorefinery concept for lignocellulosic biomass conversion.
The project addresses topic 2017.R2 of the 2017 BBI Work Programme - "Innovative technologies for the pre-treatment and serparation of lignocellulosic feedstock and complex composition streams into valuable fractions while maintaining key characteristics".
It focuses on the demonstration, at pilot-scale, of the FABIOLA pretreatment process for the production of (fine) chemicals, fuels and high-value lignin applications through an economically-feasible biorefinery concept for lignocellulosic biomass conversion.
Celignis is leader of Work Package 2 which concerns the detailed analysis of selected feedstocks, with a particular focus on extractives composition, and the optimisation of a pre-extraction process that could improve the yields
and product qualities in subsequent pre-treatment. Intial studies have shown that this pre-extraction is particularly effective in increasing the homogeneity of the feedstock composition and the purity of biorefinery products.
Celignis will also work on finding key chemicals within the extractives that may warrant separation and recovery and consider appropriate means for doing this. Our work will also involve developing a suite of NIR models for key inputs, intermediates, and outputs of the process.
Celignis will also work on finding key chemicals within the extractives that may warrant separation and recovery and consider appropriate means for doing this. Our work will also involve developing a suite of NIR models for key inputs, intermediates, and outputs of the process.
A range of residual feedstocks, including forestry residues (e.g. bark) and agricultural residues such as wheat straw and nutshells, will be tested. The potential availability of these residues is substantial with
estimates of around 180 Mton per year for the EU-27. The UNRAVEL project will take these second generation biomass feedstocks as point of departure for valorisation not only as biofuels for transport,
but also as chemicals and high-value lignin applications in building materials.
The high ambition and innovative character of the UNRAVEL project is underpinned by the fact that all conversion steps of the biomass into valuable products will be demonstrated at pilot-scale in an industrially relevant environment. For example, the optimised biomass fractionation and conversion technologies pilot fractionation experiments will be performed in a 400 litre reactor, which will guarantee the viability of novel processes for future applications at industrial scale.
The high ambition and innovative character of the UNRAVEL project is underpinned by the fact that all conversion steps of the biomass into valuable products will be demonstrated at pilot-scale in an industrially relevant environment. For example, the optimised biomass fractionation and conversion technologies pilot fractionation experiments will be performed in a 400 litre reactor, which will guarantee the viability of novel processes for future applications at industrial scale.
UNRAVEL has 10 project partners, as listed below:
For further information on UNRAVEL, please refer to the project website, its page on the BBI website, and its Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook pages.
| Partner | Type | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fraunhofer (coordinator) | RTO | Germany |
| 2 | ECN (part of TNO) | RTO | The Netherlands |
| 3 | Celignis | SME | Ireland |
| 4 | MetGen | SME | Finland |
| 5 | Soprema | Large Enterprise | France |
| 6 | IFEU | SME | Germany |
| 7 | EURIDA | Natural Person | Germany |
| 8 | CNRS | RTO | France |
| 9 | Sappi Europe | Large Enterprise | Belgium |
| 10 | Max-Planck | RTO | Germany |
For further information on UNRAVEL, please refer to the project website, its page on the BBI website, and its Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook pages.
Pisano, I., Gottumukkala, L., Hayes, D. J., Leahy, J. J. (2021) Characterisation of Italian and Dutch forestry and agricultural residues for the applicability in the bio-based sector, Industrial Crops & Products 171
Knowing the accurate composition of biomass is of crucial importance in order to assess and decide on the use and processes to be applied to specific biomass types. In this study, the composition of the lignocellulosic constituents present in forestry, agricultural and underutilised waste residues was assessed. Considering the increased interest on hemicellulose fractions for application in biomaterials and biomolecules, large emphasis has been given in detailing the monomeric constituents of the hemicellulose polymer. Lignin and cellulose, the two other major components of lignocellulosic biomass, were analysed and correlated with the trends in the other constituents. In the samples analysed, the total structural sugars content ranged from 26.0 to 67.5% of the biomass dry weight, indicating high variation between different feedstock and fractions. Hemicellulose concentration and composition also varied significantly (from 38.8% in birch (Betula Pendula Roth) foliage to 22.0 % in rice (Oryza sativa L.) straw) between the feedstock types and within the same feedstock type between different species and different fractions. The extractives content varied greatly between the different species (from 2.66 % to 30.47 % of the biomass dry weight) with high contents in certain fractions of feedstock suggesting more detailed compositional analysis of these extracts is warranted. | ||
Smit, A.T., Verges, M., Schulze, P., van Zomeren, A. and Lorenz, H. (2022) Laboratory-to pilot-scale fractionation of lignocellulosic biomass using an acetone organosolv process, ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering 10(32): 10503-10513
Acetone organosolv fractionation of beech and birch wood at the lab-scale results in high sugar yields from the (hemi)cellulose and the isolation of a high-purity lignin. In this study, the process is scaled up to validate the technology at the pilot scale using industrial-size beech and birch wood chips and low liquid-to-solid ratios as a next step toward commercialization. Translation of the fractionation process to the pilot-scale showed a similar performance as compared to the lab-scale processing with a good conversion of the wood polymeric pentoses to mostly monomeric sugars and a high delignification. Continuous lignin precipitation by solvent evaporation using the LigniSep process resulted in the formation of nonsticky lignin aggregates with a good filterability. The improved lignin yields and advanced process design as compared to the traditional dilutive lignin precipitation approaches are likely to translate to a better process economy. The pulp washing efficiency and the recovery of (nonprecipitable) lignin from the aqueous hemicellulose stream still need to be improved for an efficient process design. However, the fractionation performance and high product concentrations in the spent liquor provide an excellent start position for improved process design at the commercial scale. | |
Other Celignis Research Projects Funded by the CBE-JU
Current Projects
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BIONEER, is an Innovation Action project funded by the CBE-JU, under topic HORIZON-JU-CBE-2023-IA-06 (Selective, Sustainable Production Routes Towards Bio-Based Alternatives To Fossil-Based Chemical Building Blocks). This project will start in May 2024 with Celignis, an SME partner and full industry BIC member, playing a leading role in the scaled-up (1 m3) production of platform chemicals. Further info...PROMOFER, is an Innovation Action project funded by the CBE-JU, under topic HORIZON-JU-CBE-2023-IA-03 (Improve Fermentation Processes (Including Downstream Purification) To Final Bio-Based Products). This project started in June 2024 with Celignis, an SME partner and full industry BIC member, playing a pivotal role in the project. Our core activities include undertaking the pre-treatment and hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass at scaled-up (TRL7, 1 m3) volumes. The resulting sugars are then provided to other partners for downstream fermentations. Further info...MANUREFINERY, is an Innovation Action project funded by the CBE-JU, under topic HORIZON-JU-CBE-2023-IA-01 (Small Scale Biorefining In Rural Areas). This project will start in September 2024 with Celignis, an SME partner and full industry BIC member, involved in the analysis of feedstocks and products of the process. We are also contributing towards the technoeconomic analysis (TEA) of the technologies. Further info...Concens the development of an integrated biorefinery to make a portfolio of bio-based solvents from 2G sugars and furans obtained from spent coffee grounds and woody biomass. Celignis's activities include (i) Design and optimisation of a high-cell-density, two-stage Clostridial process for butanol from hydrolysates; (ii) in-situ solvent recovery via membrane/ extractive set-ups; (iii) enzymatic hydrolysis of both feedstocks. Further info...WoodVALOR valorises contaminated/post-consumer wood waste (WW) via: (i) thermal conversion to biochar; and (ii) fractionation followed by conversions to paints & coatings ingredients. Celignis is involved in Chemo-enzymatic fractionation of decontaminated wood (DW) to sequentially extract/purify lignin and hemicellulose, and in developing hemicellulose-based emulsifiers/stabilizers and binder monomers for industrial formulations. Additionally, Celignis is involved in metals/mineral recovery from decontamination wastewater using biochar produced in the project. Further info...LIGNOFUN funnels lignin streams into high-value aromatics. Celignis leads WP4, putting crude low molecular weight (LMW) lignin through integrated membrane and solvent fractionation into fractions for bioactivity screening (antioxidant, UV-absorbance, antimicrobial, emulsion stabilization), followed by enzymatic/chemical grafting (e.g., sugars, fatty acids) to tune solubility/surface functionality and stability. Further info...Develop and demonstrate bio-based construction products (e.g., wall panels, flooring tiles, sandwich structures). Celignis leads materials development: chemo-enzymatic extraction and fractionation of lignin/xylan/cellulose from agri/forest residues, followed by advanced chemical modification of xylan and lignin (mixed-molecule grafting, acylation and silylation) to tailor hydrophobicity, flow/rheology (via DP control), mechanical strength, and fire resistance for injection-moulding/3D-printing. Further info... |
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Completed Projects
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| PERFECOAT, a RIA project funded by the BBI JU, targets the development of novel sustainable coatings that will ultimately be available to the public. Celignis is responsible for the extraction and modification of polymers (xylan and chitosan) that will be used as binders in these coatings. Further info...The BIOrescue project was focused on developing technologies to convert spent mushroom compost, a problematic waste of the mushroom industry, to high value products. Within the project Celignis undertook a compositional profiling study of the feedstocks and developed rapid analysis models for these and process outputs. Further info...VAMOS concerns the construction and operation of a demonstration-scale biorefinery producing lactic acid from the paper fraction of municipal waste. In the project Celignis will develop custom NIR models for the rapid at-line on-site analysis of the feedstock and process outputs. Further info... | ||
Other Celignis Research Projects Funded by the Horizon Programme
Current Projects
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| Enxylascope aims at bioprospecting and producing a novel set of xylan debranching enzymes, thereby demonstrating its ability to make xylan a key ingredient in a variety of consumer products. Celignis is playing a key role, being the technical lead and responsible for the extraction and modification of xylan from biomass. Further info... | ||
Completed Projects
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| DIBANET was an FP7 research project, written and coordinated by Celignis founder Dan Hayes, that concerned the production of second generation biofuels from biomass feedstocks in Europe and Latin America. The advances in the state of the art of biomass analysis made in DIBANET led to the formation of Celignis. Further info...The focus of ENABLING was on supporting the spreading of best practices and innovation in the provision of biomass for the Bio-Based Industry (BBI). Celignis played a key role in the project with regards to stressing the importance of biomass composition in terms of evaluating feedstock and technology suitability. Further info...Celignis was the sole partner in SAPHIRE. The project, funded by the European Union's INNOSUP programme, concerned the production of high-value hydrogels from lignocellulosic residues. These are expected to have applications in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical sectors. Further info...This demo project involves innovative superheated steam processing of unwanted bush and invasive biomass into high-value, clean-burning, low-cost solid biofuel. Celignis will analyse feedstocks, and process outputs, and use our QTOF-LC/MS system to profile the steam condensate for high value chemicals. We will then develop a method to recover target constituents. Further info...BIO4AFRICA will empower smallholder farmers by creating value from locally available biomass. Celignis is analysing a wide range of biomass feedstocks, from a number of African countries, and providing recommendations regarding the most suitable ones, under the best conditions, for the given processing technology. We also analyse the outputs of the various processes. Further info...This was a Marie-Curie Individual Fellowship (MCSA-IF) involving Celignis's Lalitha in which algae were used to recover nutrients from anaerobic digestion (AD) process streams. Further info... | ||
Other Celignis Research Projects
Completed Projects
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Celignis is the sole partner in STEAME, a project funded by the Irish Research Council and focused on the development of technologies to make anaerobic digestion more financially viable in Ireland. Further info... |
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December 4th 2019
Celignis Personnel Representing UNRAVEL Project at BBI-JU Stakeholder Forum
Come join us at the project's exhibition stand at this Brussels event
Celignis's Lalitha and Dan are, together with Andre Zomeren (from coordinator TNO), today representing the BBI project UNRAVEL at the BBI JU Stakeholder Forum 2019 being held at the Egg Congress and Meeting Center in Brussels. This event provides BBI projects' partners the opportunity to meet each other, and the wider public, to facilitate collaboration opportunities and commercial progress of the technologies being developed.
We are happy to discuss with you the advances made by partner TNO on the project's FABIOLA pretreatment/fractionation progress and by Celignis on the characterisation and removal of extractives, targeting recovery and purification of an identified high value component, and on the rapid analysis models developed by Celignis for the inputs and outputs of the process. We will also be happy to discuss the important work in the project being done by other partners.
We are located at Stand 5C so come say hello!
Click here to read more about the UNRAVEL project.
We are happy to discuss with you the advances made by partner TNO on the project's FABIOLA pretreatment/fractionation progress and by Celignis on the characterisation and removal of extractives, targeting recovery and purification of an identified high value component, and on the rapid analysis models developed by Celignis for the inputs and outputs of the process. We will also be happy to discuss the important work in the project being done by other partners.
We are located at Stand 5C so come say hello!
Click here to read more about the UNRAVEL project.
February 5th 2019
Celignis Hosting the Month 9 Review Meeting of BBI Project UNRAVEL
We are delighted to welcome the 9 other project partners to Limerick.
Over the next two days Celignis will be hosting the other 9 project partners of the Biomass Based Industries Joint Undertaking project UNRAVEL in Limerick for the month 9 review meeting.
UNRAVEL addresses topic 2017.R2 of the 2017 BBI Work Programme - "Innovative technologies for the pre-treatment and serparation of lignocellulosic feedstock and complex composition streams into valuable fractions while maintaining key characteristics".
Celignis is leader of Work Package 2 which concerns the detailed analysis of selected feedstocks, with a particular focus on extractives composition, and the optimisation of a pre-extraction process that could improve the yields and product qualities in subsequent pre-treatment. Intial studies have shown that this pre-extraction is particularly effective in increasing the homogeneity of the feedstock composition and the purity of biorefinery products.
Click here to read more about our involvement in UNRAVEL.
UNRAVEL addresses topic 2017.R2 of the 2017 BBI Work Programme - "Innovative technologies for the pre-treatment and serparation of lignocellulosic feedstock and complex composition streams into valuable fractions while maintaining key characteristics".
Celignis is leader of Work Package 2 which concerns the detailed analysis of selected feedstocks, with a particular focus on extractives composition, and the optimisation of a pre-extraction process that could improve the yields and product qualities in subsequent pre-treatment. Intial studies have shown that this pre-extraction is particularly effective in increasing the homogeneity of the feedstock composition and the purity of biorefinery products.
Click here to read more about our involvement in UNRAVEL.
June 12th 2018
Our New BBI Project Kicks Off!
UNRAVEL partners met in The Netherlands to launch the project.
The headquarters of project partners ECN (now part of TNO) was the venue for the kick-off of new research project UNRAVEL. This project is funded by the Biomass Based Industries Joint Undertaking and will run from June 2018 until May 2022.
The project addresses topic 2017.R2 of the 2017 BBI Work Programme - "Innovative technologies for the pre-treatment and serparation of lignocellulosic feedstock and complex composition streams into valuable fractions while maintaining key characteristics". Celignis is leader of Work Package 2 which concerns the detailed analysis of selected feedstocks, with a particular focus on extractives composition, and the optimisation of a pre-extraction process that could improve the yields and product qualities in subsequent pre-treatment.
The kick-off meeting took place between June 12-13 in Petten, The Netherlands and involved all 10 project partners.
Click here for more information on the project and Celignis's involvement.
The project addresses topic 2017.R2 of the 2017 BBI Work Programme - "Innovative technologies for the pre-treatment and serparation of lignocellulosic feedstock and complex composition streams into valuable fractions while maintaining key characteristics". Celignis is leader of Work Package 2 which concerns the detailed analysis of selected feedstocks, with a particular focus on extractives composition, and the optimisation of a pre-extraction process that could improve the yields and product qualities in subsequent pre-treatment.
The kick-off meeting took place between June 12-13 in Petten, The Netherlands and involved all 10 project partners.
Click here for more information on the project and Celignis's involvement.