The PRIMED project has completed the selection of end-users from our 2nd Open Call, who will test and validate their proposals across PRIMED’s five Living Labs. Each Living Lab addresses primary waste challenges, working to develop sustainable, high-value solutions from biomass. The selected projects will play a central role in this mission, transforming their research into real-life applications.
The call received a total of 34 proposals, doubling the numbers of our last Open Call, and they reflected a strong level of quality and innovation. Of all the companies that applied, six have been selected to participate in the PRIMED project’s Living Labs. Each LLab will be aligned with one project with the exception of LLab1, which didn’t receive any eligible submissions in the 1st Open Call and thus has had two end-users selected for this stage.
- LLAB1, located in Lleida, Spain, will collaborate with ALGALOOP on the circular valorization of livestock digestate through microalgae cultivation (to reduce ammoniacal nitrogen). The product developed by the project consists of a concentrated liquid agricultural biostimulant and a sustainable biomaterial, both obtained from microalgal biomass cultivated directly in a culture medium based on liquid digestate.
- LLAB1 will also collaborate with FLOC, a project that aims to reduce ammoniacal nitrogen content of digestate by recovering nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium from its liquid fraction. The recovered nutrients will be valorised in the market, generating new revenue streams for farmers and taking advantage of the high market value as carbon credits of the CO2 emissions saved.
- For LLAB2 in Braga, Portugal, RIOPELE will work on producing high-quality fabrics using bio-based silica obtained from agro-residues, specifically rice husk. These fabrics will be developed both for daily wear and as technical materials with targeted functionalities. The project aims to offer a high-quality, eco-friendly solution in terms of performance and sustainability that meets the standards of this increasingly demanding industry.
- LLAB3, based in Liguria, Italy, will collaborate with BEST’s project GREEN-FARM, which aims to develop an integrated strategy for the valorization of agro-food wastes, such as basil, artichoke, olive pomace, and leaves, into bioformulations for sustainable agriculture. The project will combine different technologies for the extraction, stabilization, and formulation of valuable bio-products, progressing up to the first on-field tests.
The resulting bioformulation will be tested on selected plants. To support this, the field simulator “Microcosmo” will be used to determine the optimal concentration and application methods of the proposed formulation.
- LLAB4 in Tipperary, Ireland, will collaborate with Blues Creamery on the Happy Earth project. This initiative focuses on converting whey—a waste stream that artisan cheese producers currently lack the facilities or economies of scale to process, unlike industrial plants, into a nutritional beverage designed to help alleviate stunted growth in children and adolescents. The project aims to close the circularity gap for artisan producers in Ireland and across Europe.
- In LLAB5, located in Espoo, Finland, VTT will provide ROKA FURADADA plant cell culture biomass that has been produced with agri-food side streams i.e. the same material as for Bonne Juomat (selected end-user from the 1st Open Call). In practice, VTT will use Bonne Juomat side streams from berry and fruit processing into juices and pures as feedstock for plant cell cultures. Later on, Roka Furadada will study these biomasses as an ingredient for cosmetics.
The validations began in September, and the coming months will test how these solutions perform in practice. Updates on outcomes will be shared as the validation phase progresses.