The OLinWASTE project has been selected as one of the winners of the Horizon Europe 2021-2027 programme and will receive funding of 3,999,623 euros to develop an integrated and innovative zero-emission biorefinery over four years.

Sustainable green chemistry processes will be exploited in the plant to transform agro-industrial residues and by-products into valuable resources such as plant bioimmunostimulants, biopesticides, biofertilisers, bioplastics and bioenergy. Microbial processes will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, optimise waste streams and recover thermoelectric energy. The project also includes innovative solutions to reduce noise and odours in the biorefinery.
To improve efficiency, a digital twin system will also be created, i.e. a virtual model of the plant that, also thanks to the integration of machine learning, will make it possible to simulate operations in real time, optimising waste treatment and reducing the carbon footprint.

Coordinating the OLinWASTE (Smart sustainable biorefining of olive mill waste into biocompounds for plant and soil health, bioplastics, and bioenergy) project is Vincenzo Lionetti, lecturer at the “Charles Darwin” Department of Biology and Biotechnology.

Please read the Italian version of this page for more information.