Regions

A central theme for the large crops continues to be optimum valorisation of the residual streams and by-products to higher value applications; closed loop solutions (infrastructure and regulations) are needed bringing back water, carbon and minerals to the land; the circular economy calls for considering waste as feedstock with challenges of safety, quality, logistics, end-of-waste-status etc.

Association of municipalities for waste management in Nitra region operates in the area of 57 municipalities with a total population of 81,000 and with more than 25,000 households. From January 1st, 2021, municipalities are obliged to introduce a  collection system of bio-based food waste. The association thus has to collect and process almost 7,000 tons of food waste produced by households each year. Currently, most of the bio-waste is processed in composting facilities or biogas stations for the production of renewable energy. The association is in the preparation of a new investment of about 10 M€ for waste processing including food waste. The project will assess various governance and business models considering economic efficiency, environmental and social sustainability of the facility.

The region is characterized by vast boreal forest resources and large sparsely populated areas. Forest biomass is today used for production of sawn goods, pulp and paper, green electricity and district heating. Sweden is as of 2021 responsible for 90% of Europe’s iron ore extraction. A majority of this production is in north Sweden and is now shifting towards fossil free steel production utilizing the region’s large production of renewable electricity. An overview of the forest industry and forestry side streams in the region will be worked out together with RISE Processum. An estimation of the existing annual volumes, qualities, present use, and potential for upgrading into biobased products and bioenergy will be carried out. Technical, logistical and policy barriers for mobilizing and upgrading these biomass flows will be evaluated and recommendations on how to overcome these barriers will be suggested. A detailed value chain analysis for two assortments will be carried out in close cooperation with forest industry representatives. Existing regional bio-based economy statistics for all 21 regions in Sweden will be updated.

Several difficulties still need to be addressed mainly concerning the fragmentation in policy, the lack of logistics infrastructure and the weak stakeholders’ networking. During the project the entire supply chain of biomass in the region, from both the forest and agriculture sector, will be addressed. Special focus will be given on production, storage, and transportation of biomass. A pre-feasibility analysis for the development of a Biomass Trade Center as one possible solution could be undertaken. A Regional Committee and a Technical Group for Bio-based economy will be developed.

In Italy good examples of management and treatment of different wastes are already running, and other are under development: such models, as the recovery and extraction of molecules of interest from waste waters and industrial sludges, the production of bioenergy from different wastes, the production of biofertilizers from wastes and composting, represent innovative solutions but also face some challenge, also related to regulations and to the need to correctly manage the entire value chain (from collection to final use). Involvement of the stakeholders and dialogue with the policy makers are required to establish governance models able to act quickly and support the deployment of such opportunities. Tuscany region is already active in monitoring how the regional policies can promote innovation in the waste management (see for instance the “Smart Waste” Interreg project (https://projects2014-2020.interregeurope.eu/smartwaste/), and Biomodels4region will support them to develop circular bioeconomy solutions.