Urbiofin project coming to a close

The EU-funded Urbiofin project has stated that it is ready to demonstrate innovative processes in bioethanol production from the organic fraction of municipal solid waste and its use in chemical building blocks, proving the techno-economic and environmental viability of an integrated biorefinery.

This follows a five-year process that progressed from laboratory-scale to pilot- and demonstration-scale trials. The bioethanol produced will be employed as a feedstock for the production of ‘second generation’ bioethylene for gas ripening application. The project will demonstrate innovative processes in the production of volatile fatty acids from anaerobic digestion of the waste and its elongation into medium chain fatty acids to produce short- and medium-chain PHA biopolymers.

The pure biomethane produced by a microalgae photobioreactor will be further treated with the aim of removing volatile methyl siloxanes. In addition, the project will demonstrate innovative processes in the production of bio-fertilisers from microalgae and waste.