The R&D+i Center for Biofuels and Bioproducts of Villarejo de Órbigo (León) develops research lines focused on the valorization of agricultural biomass and by-products from the agri-food industry, in order to transform them into materials and products with higher added value for the rural environment.
The general director of the Technological Agricultural Institute of Castilla y León (ITACyL), David González, has traveled to these facilities to learn firsthand about the ongoing work and the new European projects that the center will coordinate in the coming years alongside other entities.
To carry out this research, the Center has specialized laboratories, pilot plants, and a semi-industrial scale demonstration plant, which allows testing processes before their implementation in companies.
"ITACyL has to be closer to the farmer, the rancher, and the industry. Research has to turn into useful solutions, into more competitiveness, and into new opportunities for the territory," González has pointed out.
In this context, ITACyL leads two new European projects, Biovino II and FIBNAT, in collaboration with universities, technological centers, companies, and entities from Spain and Portugal.
Biovino II and FIBNAT: new uses for agricultural waste
Biovino II will focus on exploring innovative applications for pomace, lees, and other waste generated in wineries, with the aim of converting them into products such as bioalcohols, organic acids, polyphenols, or biomethane. This initiative has a total budget of nearly two million euros.
FIBNAT, for its part, will analyze the potential of natural fibers from hops, hemp, and wool for the development of new materials intended, among other areas, for the construction sector. The project has a total economic allocation of over 1.22 million euros.
"The idea is simple: make better use of what we already produce, give new uses to our by-products, and turn them into new economic opportunities," the general director has explained.
Knowledge transfer and support for the rural environment
The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Environment, and Environmental Policy insists on its objective to reinforce in this legislature the direct transfer of knowledge from the technological centers of Itacyl to agricultural holdings, the agri-food industry, and companies, working in a coordinated manner with universities and training centers.
The goal is for R&D projects to have a real application on the ground and contribute to increasing competitiveness, opening new market niches, and generating more added value in Castilla y León.
Currently, the R&D+i Center for Biofuels and Bioproducts is participating in three research projects that total nearly 825,000 euros in funding for Itacyl, in cooperation with universities, technological centers, companies, and entities from Spain and Portugal.
"We want a more useful Itacyl, closer to the sector and more results-oriented. Castilla y León has raw materials, knowledge, and a strong agri-food industry; now we must better leverage all that potential to generate more value and more activity in the rural environment," concluded David González.