Consortium: VAQ2BI

The current extractive industry follows a linear model. However, sustainability must be reached through a restorative and regenerative model implemented in the concept of circular economy. Circular economy involves minimising waste, not only by avoiding the generation of new waste, but also by reusing, repairing, renewing and recycling existing materials and products The biomass, bioenergy and chemical sectors have shown increasing interest on the part of companies in obtaining products that can be produced from waste or by reusing materials, the so-called biorefineries.
The main objective of this research cluster is the development of sustainable processes to obtain compounds of added value from by-products or residues such as: oils, local inedible biomass and lindane production waste.
To that purpose, research is oriented towards the following specific objectives:
1. To develop and characterise new ionic solvents (DES and ILs) from biomass and glycerol.
2. To use the prepared solvents as reaction media in organic catalysis transformations.
3. To deetermine the performance of these solvents to produce crude cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin from biomass.
4. Transforming lignin derivatives to obtain materials with a high content of phenol groups.
5. Producing peptones and/or amino acids isolated from non-edible biomass.
6. To valorise the waste of lindane production.
7. To assess the environmental and economic costs associated with the above objectives through life cycle assessments.