ETIP-B-SABS 2 will support and empower renewable fuel and bioenergy stakeholders’ contributions to the Energy Union and, more specifically, the Strategic Energy Technology (SET)-Plan. The European Technology and Innovation Platform Bioenergy aims to actively engage with these stakeholders and link their needs to policy making of the European Commission, and the project´s objective is to support ETIP-Bioenergy in this task. Specific objectives are to facilitate the following activities of ETIP-Bioenergy: • contributions to the SET-Plan activities and to the Strategic R&I Implementation Plans; • collaboration and interaction with other relevant initiatives addressing renewable fuels, decarbonisation of transport, bioenergy and biomass valorisation/ bio-based value chains; • constant provision of scientifically sound, unbiased, up to date information on the status of the renewable fuels and bioenergy sector • engagement with stakeholders as to better understand the actor perspective and the socio-technical aspects of technology development and implementation; with a special focus on support for outreach and engagement of actors in the civil society • assistance to the European Commission and Member States in defining research programmes, financial instruments, while addressing lower TRL research needs as well as advancing close to market technologies.

Paper-based printed electronics are new recyclable electronic devices with technical, economic and environmental advantages. Additionally, nanocellulose (NC) based printed electronics, produced mainly from wood pulp, offer better printability and performance than paper. Therefore, the integration of NC-based printed electronics and biosensors is a promising source of innovation in the biomedical industry. In GREENSENSE we propose the development of a sustainable NC-based biosensing platform for Drug-of-Abuse (DoA) analysis, that integrates high-added value printed electronic components (a new biosensor, an NFC communication system, an energy storage system and a display) with a silicon microchip to provide it with multi sensor data processing, autonomy and wireless communication and that is easy for the user to read. The main goal of the project will be the use of NC as: substrate for the printed electronics, lamination film for the encapsulation of the final device and as active component in the formulation of functional inks (conductive, electrochemical, electrolyte and dielectric). In all cases the NC surface will be functionalized to be printable, with good barrier properties and compatible with the functional inks (bioactive, conductive, dielectric, electrochemical, electrochromic and electrolyte). Pilot lines and high throughput, high precision and cost-effective S2S screen-printing and ink-jet printing techniques will be used to produce materials and components at large-scale. Two types of DoA biosensing platforms to eradicate the consume of drugs among the society will be developed: a strip-based platform (2nd generation) that will be connected to a Smartphone and a strip+reader-based platform (3rd generation) that will also include a display. The final flexible and recyclable NC-based biosensing platform will be mass producible with ultra-low power consumption and, therefore, cost-effective, sustainable and environmentally friendly.

The BIOSMART project proposal has the ambition to develop active and smart bio-based and compostable packages addressing the needs of fresh and pretreated food applications. Moreover, the novel packaging system will form the basis for tailoring performance and functionality to specific flexible and rigid food packages in diverse market segments. A holistic ecosystem approach is pursued by offering solutions that bring enhanced performance and acceptable economics to the value chain and facilitate implementation and large-scale commercialization. Critical issues that differentiate the present packages from the future all-bio-based and compostable ones are enhanced active and smart functionalities that make possible: light weighting, reduced food residues, shelf life monitoring and longer shelf life, easier consumer waste handling, and all this at a competitive cost to the incumbent. The BIOSMART project proposal develops thus encompasses an approach for selectively integrating superhydrophobic surfaces, microencapsulated phase change materials, barrier coatings, sensoring devices, and new bio-active antimicrobial and antioxidants, into all-bio-based multilayer flexible plastic packages. Three generic packaging systems are selected with specific performance needs as defined by current multi-material (eg. pouches, terrines and cardboard/thin film tray). The associate life cycle assessments for the different possible scenarios include the economic feasibility. Ultimately, this consolidated knowledge is captured in a material selection and packaging performance simulation App. through optimization of all possible variables to meet selected key performance indicators (KPI).

The BIOSKOH project will pave the way for a Second Generation European Circular Bioeconomy by showcasing how a number Innovation Stepping Stones can realise a breakthrough in techno-economic viability of lignocellulosic biorefineries. It will do so through a two stage investment process and development path to realise the largest (110 kton) second generation (2G) biorefinery in Europe. It starts from a brownfield industrial site in the eastern part of the Slovak Republic to realise the 1st stage Flagship plant to produce 55 kton of cellulosic ethanol per year for EU bio-fuel mandates. Partners include the full value chain starting from land owners and feedstock producers, supply chain experts and an agronomical research partner to set-up a new biomass value chain exploiting large amounts of currently unused crop residues (kton/year), and developing newly grown dedicated crops on marginal land (total circa 320 kton/year), as such revitalising the regional economy. Technology providers (Biochemtex, Novozymes and Lesaffre) developed, tested and demonstrated in the only available semi-industrial scale 2G biorefinery research plant, an innovative integrated pre-treatment, hydrolyses and fermentation package, with higher yield and lower CAPEX which will now be upscaled to the 1st of a kind commercial scale Flagship, to be built by Energochemica. Aim is to showcase techno-economic viability based on a sound business plan and 4 stepping stones (yield, biomass cost, brownfield and industrial symbiosis). Dedicated innovation actions by expert partners include assessing increased cascading potential through lignin valorisation and 2G bio-chemicals, LCA, Socio-economic impact analyses, business plan for a 2nd investment round, exploitation, dissemination and replication actions to various bio-economy clusters in Europe, thus giving both a short term and a long term contribution to the European Industrial Renaissance and bio-economy.

The aim of PULPACKTION project is to develop cellulose-based tailored-to-purpose packaging solutions for specific food and electronic packaging applications which needs medium and high barrier requirement’s and that nowadays are packing in polymer fossil based solutions. This innovation will take advantage of the flexibility in the wet-moulding production of wood pulp based materials. Different types of wood pulp will be combined to prepare slurries for wet-moulding applications. These slurries will be additivated with biopolymers and other bio-based compounds in order to tailor the final properties of the resulting wet-moulded materials. By tailoring the composition of the wet mouldable slurry, a wide range of final properties in the resulting dry material will be achieved. This flexible packaging manufacturing system will be combined with 100% bio-based coatings and films on the cellulose-based substrate. To fulfil the properties required for PULPACKTION’s specific packaging applications using a fully bio-based approach, additional barriers will be implemented onto the wet moulded substrate. For this purpose, new bio-based polymer blends will be optimized. These new blends, containing biopolymers such as thermoplastic starch (TPS), poly (lactic acid) (PLA), other bio-additives, and reinforcements such as microfibrillated cellulose (MFC), will be processed into multilayer films, composites and coatings. In this manner, not only coatings for improved barrier properties, but also 100% bio-based films for packages’ top lids will be produced. Therefore, a final 100% bio-biobased integral packaging solution with similar properties to existing fossil-based packaging solutions will be achieved.