Category: Circular bio-based economy

From animal feed to protein-rich breakfast food

The disposal or combustion of leftover crops or edible products that have not been sold is a waste of the Earth’s resources. It is also bad economics for farmers. A circular economy in agriculture means utilising the value of a product or raw material by, for example, turning it into...

Nature inspires researchers to develop green processes and products

Think of the aroma of decaying leaves in a forest in the autumn. Much of the scent comes from bacteria and fungi in the soil which are breaking down the plant debris. Nature’s decomposition processes provide researchers with new ideas on how fuel, plastics, chemicals and ingredients for household products,...

Why have a circular bio-based economy?

Column by Pål Börjesson, Professor of Environmental and Energy Systems As we all know, throughout human history we have lived off renewable resources until little more than a century ago when we began using fossil fuels, such as coal and later oil, at an increasingly rapid speed. We are now...

Hunting for the gold of the forest

Researchers at Lund University want to increase the value of our forests by finding new, more valuable areas of application for the substance of lignin. The forestry industry is facing major challenges as the raw materials of the forest are less and less in demand within parts of the traditional...