The Bioeconomy Cluster Builder (BCB) webinar was an opportunity to share your feedback around possibilities and barriers to success experienced across the bioeconomy community, but also to hear first-hand about our plans to help you address these. We expanded upon the common themes identified in each area of biomass utilisation: issues around poor connectivity across the supply chain; difficulties building projects that bring together appropriate stakeholders including producers, academics, technology providers and customers; and challenges associated with scaling up processes. The Bioeconomy Cluster Builder (BCB) project is a joint enterprise between KTN, IBioIC, and Scottish Enterprise to introduce biotechnology solutions to new markets and grow the bioeconomy in Scotland. The BCB Project is funded through ERDF. Find out more here: https://www.bioeconomybuilder.com/.

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Industrial Applications of Biomass and Processing
By-products Series:
Consortia Building and Innovation Funding – a Preview!
Dr Catherine Julia Mort
Knowledge Transfer Manager – Industrial Biotechnology
KTN
24th June 2021 10:00-11:00 am

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Agenda
10:00- 10:05 Dr Catherine Julia Mort
Welcome, Housekeeping and Intro to BCB
10:05-10:30
Dissemination of Break out room key discussion points
10:30 – 10:40 Dr Jennifer Haggarty
IBIOIC Funding Landscape
10:40 – 10:50 Dr Catherine Julia Mort
Project Consortia Workshop – Next steps
10:50-11:00 Dr Dana Heldt
Q+A

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• Huge drive to Net Zero globally and in UK– move away from Fossil Fuels
• Need to achieve a greener more sustainable and circular economy.
• IB is a huge part of the solution
• Need to realise the potential of IB and Biomass Utiisation.
• Our first event in the Biomass applications webinar series was held on May
27th, to help us understand Scotland’s/UK Biomass innovation landscape in
more detail and connect people along the supply chain.
• We heard from key industry biomass players and held breakout room
discussions. Information gathered from the breakout rooms has been collated
and will be disseminated today.
Purpose of the Industrial applications of Biomass
webinar series

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• KTN have also submitted the information from the
breakout rooms as part of the CFE for the Biomass
Strategy (June 15th)
• Look out for details on more engagement from BEIS
around this.
BEIS BIOMASS Strategy:

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Dissemination of Breakout Discussion’s:

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3 Key Biomass focus topics
1. Waste biomass and co-products:
2. Non-food crops as sustainable feedstocks for high value chemical manufacturing
3. Innovative fermentation applications: harnessing Scotland’s distilling and brewing
heritage to develop new products from sustainable feedstocks

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2 key questions were asked:
1. What are the main challenge areas you face in reaching the potential of your biomass
utilisation? (Policy drives, government incentives, carbon credits, standards, public perception,
funding, scale up, available technologies)
2. What could be done to facilitate connections across the supply chain (from biomass producers
to end users) to help build future project consortia? Would a project consortia workshop be
useful? Who would you want in the room?

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Surprise Outcome! Drum Roll………
Each breakout room (Waste Biomass, Non food crops
and new products from distillery's) reported the same
challenge areas!

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Key messages around UK Biomass :
• UK has good volumes of different types of biomass which can be used for
various applications to produce different products (high value chemicals, materials and
Bioenergy)
• General consensus was that Biomass utilisation is key to providing solutions in the
move away from petrochemicals and required to meet chemical supply chain demands
as fossil fuel use is phased out.
• Biomass should be used as an alternative to producing high value chemicals, materials
and other biobased products and not just limited to the production of Bioenergy by
burning it.
• Strong agreement around the need for a bio refinery concept for biomass utilisation
where several technologies are adopted at different stages to produce a variety of high
value products. This would achieve the highest impact and value for the biomass.
• The true potential of biomass utilisation is not fully understood or recognised by end
users or Biomass producers
•

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Key Challenge areas/needs from Biomass Community:
1. Understanding the landscape: Where is the location of Biomass in the UK, what are the exact
volumes of each type and what are the main technology focus area’s according to each specific
Biomass type and related end product.
2. Require free access biomass/feedstock map for all: Up-to-date volumes and grower information
by region.
• This map should also include available and related technologies associated with each type of
biomass, technology/solution providers, academic institutions and key research areas, scale up
facilities as well as end users (chemical industry).
• There are several feedstock maps owned by various organisations across the UK but there is no
central place that stores this information or easy access for the general community to use this
data.
• Require a study around available volumes to determine the communities key focus areas as well
as end user requirements - Can we actually meet the needs of the end users (high volumes for
fuels, energy or high values?) with the volumes we have?

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3. Biobased chemical list:
• There are a few lists circulating around the IB community related to the top ten biobased
chemicals we should be producing (NIBB). It was unclear whether this is industry driven in terms
of what the chemical industry actually need us to produce or if this was what the IB community
can make. There needs to be a clear defined directive list of chemicals, high values and other
biobased products to provide the basis of where we as a community should be focussing.
• This list of required biobased chemicals needs to be driven by policy to get buy in from Chemical
industry and incentivise them to make the transition. The feeling was the move to biobased
would not happen if this wasn't government driven. However, it was recognised that consumer
drive is also key in this area.

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4. Lack of connectivity across the supply chain:
• The community did not know who to talk to when building a project consortia, especially at
either end of the supply chain (Growers and End users).
• Greater engagement is required from the end user community in terms of what they want the
Biomass community to produce. What are the key chemicals, materials and biobased products
they would like the researchers and technology providers to concentrate on?

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5. Lack of Government Incentives and Policy Drivers
• Key focus areas are required to come from policy and be supported by BEIS/IUK in terms of relevant
funding opportunities
• Incentives are required from Government to bring the utilisation of biomass to the same place as
Biofuels, e.g., tax credits, carbon tax.
• No clear policy around waste utilisation.
• Requirement for more focussed funding streams that are in alignment with government directive
with a clear end goal for the community to hook onto.
• Scotland is leading the way in Biomass utilisation - Require the rest of the UK to adopt best practise
and more alignment across regions and clusters.

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6. Require Additional Biomass Innovation Infrastructure
• Dedicated demo scale facilities (higher TRL) to test and de-risk new technologies coming
through to encourage private investment in this area.
• Dedicated Biomass network (UK wide)
In summary: The Biomass is there, we just don't know how much,
where it is and what we should be doing with it.

15. Dr Jennifer Haggarty
IBioIC Business Engagement Manager
jennifer.haggarty@ibioic.com

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Next Steps:
• You asked we listened!
• Who? What? Where? How?
• Key ask across all break out rooms: We don’t know who to talk to across
the supply chain or how to connect with them to build a project.

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Project Consortia Workshop
• Look out for following event on Thursday 29th July
• Event will be published next week for you to register your expression of
interest and closes on Thursday July 22nd.
• Confirmation of attendance will be on Monday 26th July.

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3 Challenge areas for the project building workshop:
• Whiskey distillery, new product exploration from waste streams
• Hemp Utilisation, led by Unyte Hemp – Biobased Binders
• Food Waste Utilisation, led by Argent Energy – DSP challenges

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Whiskey distillery Industry project challenge
• To explore potential project options to produce high value products from spent grains using a
biorefinery concept.
The main challenge areas within the project are:
• Local solutions – on site
• Scalability
• Identification of potential products
• Application of Biorefinery Concept

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Hemp Project Challenge (Led by Unyte Hemp): Natural bio based binders:
• Protein based from Hemp (seed protein powder)
• Resin based from the Hemp seed oil
• Lignin based from the straw/fibre
The main challenge areas within the project are:
• Viability
• Extractions
• Scalability
• Performance of binders
• Cost Analysis
• LCAs

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Food waste Industry project challenge (led by Argent energy)
Argent is interested in the downstream processing of a high value chemical. The target product is
highly insoluble in water. The product will be synthesised using a cellular system, generating
enzymes which will transform a waste triglyceride to intermediate products. A chemico-catalytic
transformation will take place followed by further enzymatic steps.
Challenge: Extraction of the high value product from the system to produce a product of sufficient
quality. Cellular material, a heterogenous catalyst and waste-water will be present.
How can our product be removed efficiently from this system?

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Building a project across the supply chain
Who are we looking for to attend the project builder workshops?
• Growers, distillery owners, food waste generators, academics, technology
solution providers, innovation centres, scale up facilities, investors,
funders, policy experts, end users and everything else in between!

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• KTN IB/EB Scoping Project – Understand the IB & EB
opportunities required to meet chemical supply chains
demands as part of the transition to a Net Zero economy
by 2050. Includes utilisation of Biomass.
• Contact me for further details. Catherine.mort@ktn-uk.org
• Help shape the Biomass Innovation Space!
Parallel Activities

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Future BCB Activities/Events
• Look out for future BCB events on the project page around agri-
food, algae and CO2 utilisation.