AGROinLOG, integrated biomass logistics centres

This Horizon 2020 multi-actor project is demonstrating Integrated Biomass Logistic Centres (IBLC) for food and non-food products, evaluating their technical, environmental and economic feasibility. 

Nowadays, agro-industries are facing several barriers that hinder their competitiveness, such as the dependence of a farm to the seasons, which implies low or even non-existent activity periods; and the underutilisation of opportunities such as the exploitation of their own residues or those from nearby areas in order to create new business lines. 

AGROinLOG is a project funded by the European Commission to improve the competitiveness of agro-industries (including farms) through their transformation into Integrated Biomass Logistics Centres (IBLC). But, what does an IBLC do? An IBLC takes advantage of the facilities of an agro-industry, its network of contacts and its own residues or non-used local resources, to create new activities and obtain new bio products, such as biomass, biofuels or raw materials for other sectors.  

AGROinLOG tested the IBLC concept in three real experimental plants:  on farms from the the fodder (Spain), olive oil production (Greece) and cereal processing (Sweden) sectors.  New logistics chains were developed and the existing equipment was adapted to the new production. In addition, the technical, financial, and environmental feasibility of the new activity and the final quality of the new products was evaluated. 

After analysing these three industries, the project studied how to replicate the IBLC business model in other agro-industries from different sectors. As a result of these measures, European agro-industries may be able to create a new activity with lower investment, stabilising their annual activity and maintaining or creating new jobs. 

"AGROinLOG has allowed to bring together a wide range of stakeholders within different European regions and countries, encouraging dialogue and the integration of biomass logistic centres into most promising agro-industries from different sectors and thus, for the adoption of the bioeconomy in the agri-food sector" – Project coordinator.

• Project newsletter (April 2020)
• Final video
• Practice abstracts
• Website 

Photo: Company producing biofuels from the unexploited vineyard pruning