H2020 NOAW (progetto EU)

Starting date
October 1, 2016
Duration (months)
48
Departments
Biotechnology
Managers or local contacts
Bolzonella David
Keyword
agro-waste, anaerobic digestion, digestate, volatile fatty acids, poly-hydroxy-alkanoates

Innovative approaches to turn agricultural waste into ecological and economic assets
Driven by a “near zero-waste” society requirement, the goal of NoAW project is to generate innovative efficient approaches
to convert growing agricultural waste issues into eco-efficient bio-based products opportunities with direct benefits for both
environment, economy and EU consumer. To achieve this goal, the NoAW concept relies on developing holistic life cycle
thinking able to support environmentally responsible R&D innovations on agro-waste conversion at different TRLs, in the
light of regional and seasonal specificities, not forgetting risks emerging from circular management of agro-wastes (e.g.
contaminants accumulation).
By involving all agriculture chain stakeholders in a territorial perspective, the project will
(1) develop innovative eco-design and hybrid assessment tools of circular agro-waste management strategies and address
related gap of knowledge and data via extensive exchange through the stake holders knowledge platform,
(2) develop breakthrough knowledge on agro-waste molecular complexity and heterogeneity in order to upgrade the most
wide spread mature conversion technology (anaerobic digestion) and to synergistically eco-design robust cascading
processes to fully convert agro-waste into a set of high added value bio-energy, bio-fertilizers and bio-chemicals and building
blocks, able to substitute a significant range of non-renewable equivalents, with favourable air, water and soil impacts
and (3) get insights of the complexity of potentially new, cross-sectors, business clusters in order to fast track NoAW
strategies toward the field and develop new business concepts and stakeholders platform for cross-chain valorisation of
agro-waste on a territorial and seasonal basis
 

Sponsors:

Commissione Europea - H2020
Funds: assigned and managed by the department

Project participants

David Bolzonella
Full Professor

Activities

Research facilities

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