“An innovative, disruptive two-step conversion process to transform different bio-resources into
sustainable raw materials”

To produce any bio-based material, renewable carbon is required. This can be obtained from the atmosphere as CO2, however, capture and further synthesis is very costly and not a realistic path to achieve the climate neutrality targets on a short time scale.

Biomass provides a concentrated form of renewable carbon, as nature captured CO2 from the
atmosphere. Carbon is captured by nature in high value forms (such as sugars and oils) but most is stored in lignocellulosic plant matter. Preferably, a processing system should be able to utilize the low-value byproducts and organic waste streams as carbon sources, avoiding competition with food & feed systems.

More preferably, a processing system should convert these materials while maintaining (most of) the chemical functionalities present in the material.

In recent years, a specific technology has been developed to utilize these low-value resources to produce bio-based chemicals. This is the Thermo Chemical Fractionation, short name TCF.

TCF converts biomass residues by fast pyrolysis into a liquid Fast Pyrolysis Bio-Oil (FPBO). Subsequently, the FPBO is fractionated -based on chemical functionality- by liquid-liquid extraction yielding a reactive lignin fraction and a sugar-rich fraction, both being excellent starting materials to produce sustainable, bio-based chemicals & materials.

In NewWave, TCF will produce the raw materials (Lignin, Sugars and Bio-oil) for the four manufacturing lines developed by the project. The feedstock for the TCF plan will be biomass residues, organic waste and end-of-life products.