Urban-industrial symbiosis for bio-waste valorisation

Expected Outcome:Successful proposals will contribute to the implementation of the EU Bioeconomy Strategy and its action plan, the Waste Framework Directive and the Landfill Directive[1], with respect of the objectives on bio-waste management. Project outcomes will contribute to the objectives of the Circular Economy communication and action plan.

Projects results are expected to contribute to the following expected outcomes:

• Full-scale biorefinery and related value chain(s) for the sustainable valorisation of bio-waste into added-value bio-based products, with high replication potential.
• Reduction of the amount of bio-waste currently going for incineration or landfilled.
• Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants, due to avoiding landfilling and incineration of bio-waste.
• Demonstrated economic and social benefits for the municipalities involved in the provision of bio-waste.
• Increased value for society, in terms of direct and indirect employment number and quality of jobs at local and regional levels
• Increased social acceptance of targeted bio-based products from bio-waste and increased citizen engagement in bio-waste prevention and separate collection.

Scope:According to the Waste Framework Directive, bio-waste must be ‘either separated and recycled at source or is collected separately and is not mixed with other types of waste’ as of 1st January 2024 in the EU,6F then providing an increasing amount of bio-based feedstock for any circular use. Separately collected urban bio-waste is currently mostly valorised through state-of-the-art anaerobic/aerobic digestion, resulting mainly in biomethane and/or compost. While prioritizing the prevention of waste, other valorisation routes could further support phasing out landfilling and incineration[2]. There is a presently untapped potential at industrial scale to valorise urban bio-waste into higher value bio-based products. Some innovative routes have been demonstrated or are under demonstration, tackling the technological challenges related to the complexity of this feedstock, in terms of composition and its variability across seasons. Urban-industrial symbiosis may be instrumental to overcome such challenges both upstream and/or downstream the bio-waste valorisation pathways.

The main feedstock in scope for this topic is separately collected urban bio-waste, as defined under the Waste Framework Directive[3]. According to the specific targeted conversion routes, any other bio-based residues and waste[4] can be used as supplementary feedstock.

Proposals under this topic should:

• Demonstrate feasibility and viability of a full-scale biorefinery model converting bio-waste (as defined above) into added value[5] products. Approaches exploiting synergies with existing waste management infrastructures, including separate collection of targeted bio-waste, and of urban-industrial symbiosis (upstream and/or downstream) are in scope.
• Demonstrate the production of safe-and-sustainable-by-design (SSbD) added-value bio-based products, minimising the generation of waste.
• Address logistics aspects (including separate bio-waste collection, proximity to urban areas, etc) influencing the economic viability and social acceptance of the value chain.

In addition to the specific requirements applicable for the type of action, as described in section 2.2.3.1 of the CBE JU Annual Work Programme 2025[6], proposals under this topic should:

• Include a task to apply the safe-and-sustainable-by-design (SSbD) framework, developed by the European Commission. Under this context, projects are expected to also contribute with and develop recommendations that can advance further the application of the SSbD framework[7]
• As part of the multi-actor approach (MAA), ensure adequate involvement of all key actors in the value chains relevant for this topic and across the sustainable circular bio-based system, including bio-waste management operators, local/regional authorities, policy makers, citizens/consumers’ representatives, bio-based process developers/biorefineries.
• Include a task to address the regulatory framework aspects related to the use of bio-waste streams and their conversion to end products, with particular reference to the end of waste criteria to ensure future marketability of the developed products.
• Include a task to perform an assessment of social involvement and long-term benefits, including local employment, potential reduction of waste management charges, lower pollution, products and/or services and/or revenues received back from the biorefinery(ies).
• Identify region(s)/area(s) in EU/EEA/EFTA countries and associated countries (ACs) with high unexploited potential for such industrial/urban symbiotic approach (e.g., where bio-waste from municipalities is not separately collected and/or not properly valorised, or there are options applied which are low in the waste hierarchy, i.e. incineration and landfilling). Include a task to assess the implementation in the selected region(s)/area(s) of the solutions developed in the flagship, taking into account local/regional conditions and the regulatory framework.
• Ensure complementarities with past and ongoing R&I projects addressing similar challenges, including projects funded under Horizon 2020 / Horizon Europe and BBI/CBE JU[8].
• Explore synergies with Circular Cities and Regions initiative (CCRI), the EU Hubs for Circularity (H4C)F and the R&I Mission ‘Climate neutral and smart cities’.

[1] Provisions for the reduction of ‘biodegradable’ waste under Article 5 ‘Waste and treatment not acceptable in landfills’

[2] See also examples for the production of chemicals through the conversion of organic as reported in the BREF on Waste, under the anaerobic processes (4.3.1.1 Innovative processes). Also the Taxonomy regulation indicates how to use bio-waste in the delegated act on circular economy objective (see, for example, the manufacture of plastic packaging goods and the anaerobic digestion of bio-waste into chemicals.)

[3] i.e., biodegradable garden and park waste, food and kitchen waste from households, offices, restaurants, wholesale, canteens, caterers and retail premises and comparable waste from food processing plants

[4] See CBE JU Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda, Annex V. Table V.1: Potential feedstock for the bio-based industry

[5] Added value in this case means value higher than compost and biogas

[6] https://www.cbe.europa.eu/reference-documents

[7] More specifically, provide thresholds that can support the criteria definition and improvements for the assessment SSbD methodologies, including any specificities related with bio-based chemicals. Recommendations should also include identification of data gaps, especially safety, environmental, but also socio-economic factors, as well as priorities for data collection

[8] For example, CBE JU projects: CIRCULAR BIOCARBON, CIRCLE, MIXMATTERS, and BBI JU projects: URBIOFIN, EMBRACED, DEEP PURPLE. as well as H2020 projects: DAFIA, VOLATILE, VALUEWASTE, SCALIBUR, WaysTUP!, HOOP, RES URBIS. The list is not exhaustive.