Sino-European research consortium to convert agri-food residues into high value products

In China, 13 Chinese academic and industrial organisations met in Beijing, China to officially begin their involvement in the AgriLoop project. Over the next three years, they will work together with another 22 partners from across Europe to develop sustainable processes to convert agri-food residues into high-value products and accelerate the move to more sustainable, circular agriculture.

This major international collaboration will find new uses for agri-residues -which account for around 50% of the fresh weight of harvested crops – as a currently underexploited resource for both Europe and China. The AgriLoop project will develop sustainable integrated processes in a cascading biorefinery approach to convert agri-food residues (from tomato, soy, straw, potato, brewery, , winery and livestock sectors etc) into high-value, eco-friendly products such as plant and microbial proteins, polyesters and other bio-based chemicals for use in food, feed, health and material applications, especially by the agricultural sector.

This project will strengthen European and Chinese cooperation and open up new avenues for flexible, agri-based value chains, enabling the consortium to join forces to increase agricultural sustainability, grow the bioeconomy and tackle climate change and plastic pollution.