[LNV policy task, social problem and policy context]: Twenty to thirty percent of the total amount of green resources imported or grown in the Netherlands has either an application in the non-food area or is considered as waste. Applications are found for the larger part in feed, but due to diminishing livestock and changing legislation this market is shrinking. These green resources, however, can be applied in high-value, safe, consumer products, materials, chemicals and fuels. Besides the need for development of new technologies to make these applications viable, this also calls for new links between the agrifood industry and the chemical (and other) sectors.
[Knowledge need]:
For this to become possible, new technological options should be developed for the release of valuable materials from biomass and the further development of these materials into products, via sustainable processes. Furthermore knowledge should be built-up on how to link different industrial sectors around new products and processes and what the role of various stakeholders (government, industry and research institutions) in this process can be. Also knowledge is needed on the critical success factors of the process of innovation when various industrial partners in different sectors are involved.
[Knowledge assignment]:
Technological knowledge is built up around three spearheads:
- Building blocks for green chemistry
- Natural complexity for functionality
- Keys for green processes
The first of these spearheads focuses on making building blocks that can be applied in current or new chemical processes to produce materials. The third focuses on the development of new biotechnological or chemical green processes to process biobased materials. The second spearhead focuses on the use of complex structures that are found in nature, like enzymes, and that can have specific functions either in (biotechnological) processes or have specific functional actions like biocides. These technological developments are investigated and developed in projects of Wageningen UR together with a number of industrial partners and other research institutions and are cofinanced by the EU or SenterNovem.
Furthermore knowledge is built-up around how to build consortia of industries in various sectors, and the aim is to also actually build a number of consortia that can start to produce and market new biobased products.
Communication focuses around the spreading of knowledge of green resouces.
Publications of this programme are available Here |
