Objectives

The general objective of this project is to demonstrate in a real case study, in a representative EU producing Region, through a full scale trial, the feasibility of an innovative and sustainable integrated Valorisation Scheme to increase significantly the brewer by-products recovery at European level, through their up-grading as aqua-feed ingredients, satisfying the highly increasing demand of alternative new raw materials for aqua-feed production.

All agents in the value chain will be involved: breweries, logistics and technological agents, valorising companies, aqua-feed producers and aquaculture farms as end users.

Its implementation will reduce the environmental impact of brewing and aquaculture sectors contributing to their long-term sustainability. Thus, it will also contribute to waste reduction and environmental protection EU policies.

The specific objectives are:

  1. Design a new integrated valorisation scheme including all steps of the new value chain and replicable to other EU regions.
  2. Optimize and scale up a “low-carbon” dehydration process using an innovative combination of mechanical and thermal technologies for obtaining a sustainable meal using brewery by-products.
  3. Optimize the aqua-feed formulas using the produced meals till the maximum possible level of developed meals inclusion in diets for aquaculture fishes.
  4. Integrate and demonstrate the whole system in real operational conditions in a representative case study in Spain covering the entire value chain.
  5. Eco-design at industrial level the proposed solution to ensure its implementation at full scale.
  6. Demonstrate the social-environmental sustainability of the whole system using the LCA methodology.
  7. Demonstrate the economic profitability of the whole proposed solution.
  8. Ensure the success of the solution through the participation of stakeholders in the follow-up of the project and its alignment with EU policies.
  9. Define an exploitation plan and a road map for the Replication and Transfer of the Valorisation Scheme to the case study in Spain and two other representative EU producing Regions.
  10. To raise maximum public awareness about environment and resource efficiency through an efficient communication and dissemination strategy.
  11. Involve the necessary investors to guarantee the uptake of the results to stimulate a new economic activity and employment in the food waste recovery sector beyond the project.