Agrimax

Objective

Agrimax will develop two pilot processing plants and use them to demonstrate the technical and commercial feasibility of extracting high-value compounds from agricultural and food processing waste.By applying them sequentially, Agrimax will produce a cascade of bio-based compounds with high-value applications, such as:

• Packaging (bio-polymers, bio-composites, bio-based coatings, active packaging, stabilising agents)
• Food (additives, ingredients, natural flavourings, edible coatings, microbial growth media)
• Agricultural Materials (biodegradable pots, mulching films, bio-fertilisers).

By reducing waste and our dependence on fossil-fuels, Agrimax will help to maximise the EU’s sustainability, while creating new growth and jobs.

Approach

Agrimax will apply a range of processing technologies, to recover a significant amount of the valuable compounds contained in waste from the growing and processing of cereals, olives, potatoes and tomatoes. These technologies will include: ultrasound-assisted extraction; solvent extraction; filtration; and thermal and enzymatic treatments.

Agrimax will construct two pilot processing plants, in Italy and Spain, capable of processing waste from all four selected crops (cereals, olives, potatoes and tomatoes).  Local agricultural cooperatives will provide waste for processing and their contributions will be coordinated with the help of an online platform. End users will test the new, bio-based compounds products to validate their cost effectiveness and performance. The project will assess the environmental, societal, ethical, safety, and regulatory implications of this approach.  It will also develop economically competitive business strategies for the commercialisation of these products, possibly using cooperatively run processing facilities.

Check the project website 

Discover the deliverables 

Project coordinator 

• IRIS technology Solutions, Spain 

Project partners

• Aimplas, Spain 
• Universiteit Gent, Belgium 
• Consorzio Interuniversitario Nazionale per la Scienza e Tecnologia dei Materiali, Italy
• IRTA (Recerca i tecnologies agroalimentaries), Spain
• Nofima, Norway
• ITENE, Spain 
• Università di Bologna - Alma Mater Studiorum, Italy 
• Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Germany
• Stazione Sperimentale per l'Industria delle Conserve Alimentari (SSICA), Italy 
• University College Dublin, Ireland
• Universidad de Almeria, Spain 
• BioVale, United Kingdom 
• Federació de Cooperatives Agràries de Catalunya, Spain
• Fachverband der Nahrungs und Genussmittelindustrie, Austria 
• Gospodarsko Interesno Zdruzenje grozd Plasttehnika, Slovenia 
• Chiesa Virginio, Italy
• ARCHA, Italy
• Femto engineering, Italy 
• Laser Consult Muszaki - tudomanyos es Gazdasagi Tanacsado Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Hungary
• MOGU, Italy
• Organic Waste System, Belgium  
• Bioprocess Pilot Facility, Netherlands 
• Fertinagro Biotech, Spain
• Gaviplas, Belgium 
• Barilla, Italy 
• Indulleida, Spain 
• Trivium Packaging, Italy 

Watch the project video