HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-CIRCBIO-07: Valorisation of Bioenergy Crops and Agricultural Residues for a Circular Bioeconomy

Our research group offers long-term experience in sustainable biomass production, characterisation and valorisation under Mediterranean and semi-arid conditions. Our work combines forage and bioenergy crop research with the agricultural use of organic residues, compost and biogas digestate, supporting circular approaches that connect biomass production, utilisation and nutrient recycling.

We can contribute regional case studies and experimental evidence to identify underutilised agricultural biomass streams and assess their suitability for different valorisation pathways. Our expertise includes biomass quality assessment, chemical pretreatment of lignocellulosic materials, and evaluation of bioethanol, biogas and solid biofuel potential. We also investigate how organic amendments and diversified cropping systems influence crop productivity, resource use efficiency and soil health.

We are particularly interested in contributing to:

•Identification and characterisation of underutilised crop biomass and agricultural residues, including seasonal availability and quality variability
• Testing pretreatment approaches and defining quality parameters to support biomass standardisation and matching with suitable end uses
• Agronomic evaluation of compost and digestate to support nutrient recycling and sustainable biomass production
• Regional demonstration activities and scientific support for biomass platforms connecting primary producers, processors and end users

We are open to collaborating as a research partner in multi-actor consortia, providing field trials, biomass production and combustion quality data and Mediterranean case studies. Working with producers, businesses and local authorities, we can support the evaluation of practical biomass valorisation options and contribute evidence for resource-efficient, environmentally sound regional bioeconomy solutions.

Offering Mediterranean field trials and biomass characterisation expertise to support underutilised biomass valorisation, nutrient recycling and regional connections between biomass suppliers and users.