SCALIBUR (Scalable Technologies for Bio-Urban Waste Recovery)

It is a project from the Horizon 2020 call, led by ITENE (ES), in which, in addition to the FCC Group (represented by FCC Medio Ambiente and Aqualia), entities from various European Union countries take part: AERIS (ES), ASA (GE), CENER (ES), CLuBE (MK), CSCP (GE), Greenovate! Europe (BE), KOUR (IT), Anci Associazione Regionale Comuni Italiani Lazio (IT), City of Lund (SW), CITY COUNCIL OF MADRID (ES), Novamont (IT), Nutrition Sciences (BE),  University Of Modena (IT), IRIS (ES), WETSUS (NL), Waterschap Brabantse Delta (NL) and Zetadec (NL).


The project seeks to take advantage of bio-waste, producing new by-products and bio-materials from them. Within the SCALIBUR project, a complete study will be carried out of the quality, logistics and processing systems of urban solid waste and WWTP sewage sludge to obtain new high added value by-products. In short, breaking with the linear economy and creating new business models based on the circular economy, taking a sustainable approach.

 

In the cities where the processes and prototypes will be implemented, social awareness actions will be carried out, collecting and integrating the opinion of those interested in the project through strategies to stimulate social participation (through the creation of the Biowaste Clubs), selecting the communities that are most interested in it

The organic fraction of the municipal waste will be used by FCC Medio Ambiente and the CENER tech centre to produce biopesticides and bio-plastics through enzymatic hydrolysis followed by fermentation. In addition, FCC will apply a bio-chemical process to biomethanisation biogas to produce high added-value alcohols for the chemical industry.

Last November 2021, FCC Medio Ambiente took part in presenting the SCALIBUR project to the representative of the European Commission, Isabelle Van Vorm, during the project’s Kick Off at the facilities of ITENE (Packaging, Transport & Logistics Research Centre) in Valencia.

FCC Medio Ambiente has participated in this project by validating the design and operation of two technologies: a waste monitoring system, which allows continuous, real-time characterisation of the waste; and an electrochemical bioconversion system (BES) that has made it possible to convert the CO2 from biogas into organic products with high added value, such as acetic acid.

From the social point of view and in order to improve recycling rates and increase the quality and quantity of bio-waste collection, FCC Medio Ambiente has participated along with other project partners in various activities and workshops, involving the main local actors in the bio-waste value chain (citizens, market representatives, retail sector, among others).

 

Project official website: www.scalibur.eu