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Overview

The idea

CIRCLE will demonstrate at industrial scale a first-of-its-kind retrofitted biorefinery for the valorisation of food waste streams and additional biomasses into high-value bio-based chemicals and intermediates, lactic acid (LA), lactate salts (LS) and polylactic acid (PLA)-based. These will be produced in the CIRCLE Flagship which will be built by retrofitting of an existing biogas plant.”

CIRCLE validates the wide applicability of LA and LS for sustainable LA-, LS- and PLA- based products

The technology

The technology has been developed by the project coordinator, TripleW, for the last eight years, and also as part of BBI-JU Demo project, Waste2Func, demonstrating the production of lactic acid and PLA made from food waste in waste management facility setup. The highly innovative process converts food waste into bio-based LA, with striking advantages compared to existing state-of-the-art technologies such as avoidance of gypsum byproduct, more sustainable carbon footprint and more. This CIRCLE technology will be deployed by retrofitting the existing anaerobic digestion (AD) facility located in Amsterdam.

The applications

The application of bio-based chemicals and intermediates will be demonstrated through the production of a wide portfolio of bio-based products fully compliant with market requirements.

PRODUCT PORTFOLIO
APPLICATION
LA and LS for
cosmetics products
LA for
cleaning products
PLA for
automotive sectors, cosmetics and food packaging

implementing a Safe-and Sustainable-by-Design approach (SSbD)

The objectives

  • Build the industrial-scale CIRCLE biorefinery by retrofitting a pre-existing AD facility.
  • The valorisation of multiple by-products streams in the CIRCLE Flagship Plant.
  • Demonstrate the operation at industrial scale of the new CIRCLE ‘multi-purpose’ biorefinery.
  • Validate and demonstrate the wide applicability at industrial level of the bio-based LA-, LS- and PLA-based products.
  • Ensure the sustainability and circularity of the value chain.
  • Demonstrate the replication potential.
  • Successfully exploit and commercialise of the CIRCLE project results.

The advantages

Biorefinery

  • Expansion of an existing Biogas plant and integration of a new high value products stream
  • CAPEX reduction

Waste management

  • Higher-value conversion of food waste and other organic by-products into key chemical intermediates serving multiple markets

Technologies from waste to LA

  • Food-waste / other by-products
  • Gypsum-free process
  • Efficient system, solid and scalable

Technologies from waste-based LA to PLA

  • Gypsum-free process
  • Recycle PLA towards its building block LA

Bio-based chemicals

  • Wide applicability of the bio-based LS, LA and PLA

SSbD approach

  • Maximum sustainability and safety of the new bio-based products

Methods for raising awareness and market acceptance

  • Key actors along the value chain & MAA
  • Increased social acceptance
  • Promotion of inter-regional exchange of skills and best practices