📋 Tender Overview
Start Date: 01/08/2022
End Date: 31/07/2027
Total Eligible Budget: 8,836,919 €
EU Contribution: 5,302,150 €
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
More than 86 million tonnes of bio-waste were generated annually in the EU-28 from 2013 to 2020, causing environmental degradation (e.g. pollution from landfills) and the loss of valuable by-products. Brewer’s spent grain (BSG) accounts for around 85% of waste from the brewing industry, with 3.5 million tonnes of BSG produced annually in the EU-28 (2014-2018). However, there is currently no large-scale solution for recovering the valuable components of BSG, and it is mostly used as low-value animal feed or disposed of in landfills.
The production of protein (animal or plant-based) has a significant impact on the environment. The production of 1kg of beef protein requires 1 640 m2 of land and 45 m3 of water, and generates 500 kg of CO2eq. The recovery of proteins from secondary agricultural materials, such as BSG, can therefore help reduce these environmental and climate impacts. In addition, the food and beverage industry accounts for 17% of the EU’s overall energy consumption, with around two-thirds coming from natural gas. Just 5% of the energy used for EU beer production come from renewable sources.
