Konstantinos Passadis

CIRCforBIO: A circular economy system for multi-source biomass conversion to added value products

In the framework of the European Life project CIRCforBIO, a demonstration-scale biorefinery plant was constructed aiming to valorize biowaste for the production of advanced biofuels and biogas. The facility consist of four main units: i)Drying unit, ii) Extraction unit, iii) Bioconversion unit, and iv) AD unit. The overarching concept is to exploit the components of biowaste to produce liquid advanced biofuels alongisde biomethane. To enhance the sustainability of the system, the integration of algae cultivation ponds has been established through the European Horizon project CRONUS. This integration allows the capture of CO2 emmissions produced from the biorefinery, using it as a carbon source for alge growth. The cultivated algae is subsequently introduced into the value chain of the biorefinery. Furthermore, the digestate by AD plant is also fed into the ponds. In this way, nutrient recovery and water purification is achieved by algae, tranforming the treated digestate suitable for safe application on nearby agricultural land. In conclusion, the system represents a closed-loop model, with the Anaerobic Digestion (AD) unit playing a pivotal and indispensable role in the overall process.