Crevits wants to encourage more SMEs to take the path of the bio-economy. “Bio-economy must become a standard concept in our society,” she says. Flemish SMEs that want to test new bio-based processes on an industrial scale can therefore count on financial support. Investments are also made in companies that can make test infrastructure available to SMEs, such as BBEPP. The aim is to encourage companies to use more renewable biomass as a raw material and to move them towards a sustainable economy.
Thanks to the financial injection, the Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant can purchase a NEXTGEN demonstration fermenter with a volume of 75m3. That is more than three times as large as the largest bioreactor currently in place. The investment for this is €17.7 million. BBEPP will also purchase 8 new 30 litre pressure fermenters, a total investment of €2.3 million. In addition, €3.6 million will go towards the BBEPP/ILVO Microbial Protein Transition platform, with which microbial proteins can be developed that can serve as raw materials for meat substitutes or high-quality animal feed.
More information about Crevits’ call can be found on the VLAIO website.
Image: BBEPP/YouTube
