Beneficiaries

Description of the organisation

www.hysytech.com

Hysytech srl is a Chemical Engineering Company established on 2003, in Torino, Italy. Today it is a pioneer company in the field of process engineering and, in particular, in the design and construction of turn-key plants for fuel chemical processing, energy production and environmental treatment. Hysytech srl provides specialized engineering solutions and services on chemical processing, energy, power generation an environmental treatment. Hysytech is always looking to develop and provide new technology to clients on short and medium-term opportunities through continuous work and challenging development. The company has always based its business model on innovation and expertise in finding innovative solutions for chemical processing and energy generation. The proposed project is a natural continuation of the experience and capability of Hysytech.
Hysytech has 4 different business areas: Construction of turn-key industrial plants (EPC and EPCM), Applied R&D, Consultancy (technical and financial) and Maintenance.
Hysytech’s experience and technological background cover several fields: from process synthesis to industrial catalysis, from process optimization for renewable energy production to environmental treatment. Hysytech sets its activity on technological transfer from university to industries, producing day by day R&D for industrial customers and research centers.
In order to be able to offer specialized service, Hysytech makes a continuous effort to increase the proprietary know-how and technical expertise. Almost 30% of the revenues are invested every year in internal technology developments. After more than ten years passed pursuing the reinvestment strategy there are some success cases (in term of return of investment) to be mentioned. The last significant technology development was accomplished in 2014 with the installation and operation of a proprietary high efficiency biomethane production plant from municipal waste digestion and landfill biogas.

Description of the organisation

http://ambiente.aceapinerolese.it

ACEA is a modern Italian multi-utility company, which provides services for Municipalities, private companies and citizens. It finds his origin in 1856 and serves at the present time a user base of over150.000 inhabitants for waste collection, 200.000 inhabitants for clean water distribution and waste water management, and 800.000 inhabitants for biowaste treatment. ACEA works to ensure sustainable development in environment, water and energy. The Pinerolo Ecological district manages 50000 tons/year of urban biowastes to yield biogas and compost. Since 2007 Acea has cooperated with the University of Torino (UNITO) within nationally funded projects aiming at the valorization of urban and agriculture biowastes (biochemenergy,it).
Acea is currently cooperating with UNITO to develop new hydrolysis/oxidation processes to convert lignocellulosic materials to added value products with enhanced performance and thus widen their potential marketability.
Within this cooperation, Acea has acquired from UNITO the license to exploit the following two patents:

1. PLASTIC MATERIALS CONTAINING PRODUCTS ISOLATED FROM RESIDUAL BIOMASS AND FOSSILS, AND THEIR SULPHONATED DERIVATIVES, Patent application: TO2012A001063, date: 10/12/2012, CCIAA of TORINO;
2. BIOPOLYMERS ISOLATED FROM RESIDUAL BIOMASS AND FOSSIL SOURCE; PRODUCTION PROCESSES AND PRODUCT USES, patent application by the University of Torino, 21 December 2012, NO.

PCT/IT2012/000399Acea plans to optimize the knowledge relative to the above two patents, to apply the above technology tofood and other agriculture wastes, to also assess the feasibility of scaling up the developed technology to industrial commercial and hopefully to build the first biowastes refinery for the production of biofuel and biobased products for the chemical and agriculture market.

Description of the organisation

www.aua.gr

The Agricultural University of Athens (AUA) serves agricultural sciences since 1920. The Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition (DFSHN) is one of the 6 departments of AUA that covers educational, scientific and technological issues in food science andtechnology. The Laboratory of Food Process Engineering, Processing and Preservation of Agricultural Products of DFSHN focus on valorization of renewable resources (with specific emphasis given to food supply chain waste), bioprocess and biorefinery development, industrial biotechnology and process design, costing and LCA studies. More than 20 researchers are currently working on relevant research topics including biorefinery development using food supply chain wastes and bioprocess optimization for the production of biopolymers (e.g. bacterial cellulose), platform chemicals and microbial lipids. Research group members have received more than €1.500.000 since 2011 in the research topics mentioned above. One of the achievements involves funding from Petrobras (Brazil) in collaboration with the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Research group members have published their research in highly esteemed peer-reviewed scientific journals (e.g. Chem. Soc. Rev. 2014, 43:2587-627.). Our research group organizes the MSc direction entitled “Food Bioprocesses and Biorefineries” that was launched in September 2012. Dr Koutinas is Associate Editor of the Biochemical Engineering Journal. AUA participates in more than 10 ongoing research projects funded by National, Europe-based and international funding bodies and industry, such as EU-FP7 (Grant agreement 311935), Project funded by Petrobras (Brazil): “Production of enzymes and building blocks (1,3-propanediol, 2,3-butanediol and fumaric acid) for petrochemical production from industrial residues”, LIFE13 ENV/GR/000958 and Greece-Germany bilateral project: “New bioprocess for microbial oil from crude glycerol and cellulosic sugars – BIO4OIL”.

Description of the organisation

www.cut.ac.cy

The Department of Environmental Science and Technology (DEST) of CUT, although recently established (2007), is fully equipped for the activities required for the implementation of the present project. The research team has large experience in the management of research projects. The research is mainly focused in areas such as i) sustainable production of added-value chemicals, ii) biochemical engineering, iii) environmental biotechnology, iv) anaerobic digestion and v) biological modeling. Dr. Michalis Koutinas, a Lecturer of Environmental Biotechnology at DEST since 2012, will coordinate the project and monitor its implementation. He holds a PhD in Biochemical Engineering from Imperial College London where he also worked as a Post-Doc. He is the recipient of a Starting Grant from CUT on the valorization of cheese dairy waste for the production of added-value chemicals. He participates in COST Action TD1203, targeting the valorization of food waste for sustainable production of chemicals and he is a member of the International Forum on Industrial Bioprocesses (IFIBiop). The team of CUT also comprises of Dr. Ioannis Vyrides (Anaerobic Digestion), Dr. Marlen Vasquez (Environmental Toxicology) and Charalampos Theopemptou (Environmental Management). CUT supports the state and society in their efforts to confront problems, which cover all areas of science and technology towards basic and applied research. The Service for Research offers administrative support and managerial services to the activities of the academic community through CUT’s state funded budget, or at national, European and international level. CUT has been funded for projects by the Cyprus Research Promotion Foundation and for European Research Projects funded under the European Research Framework Programmes (FP6, FP7, H2020), the LIFE and IEE Programmes, the European Territorial Cooperation Programmes such as Interreg IIIB, Archimed, Interreg IVC, Cross Border Cooperation Greece–Cyprus, MED and other.

Description of the organisation

www.bioagrooliva.com/en/

Organohumiki Thrakis is a private SME company which was founded in the beginning of 2013. It is the only company worldwide which produces organic fertilizer from olive waste, giving a solution for the sustainable reuse of olive waste. After approximately two years of close collaboration with various olive oil mills in several places in Greece such as Crete, Chalkidiki and Evros for the production of organic fertilizer, the company established its own organic fertilizer plant in Alexandroupolis in the province of Thrakis (NE of Greece). The commercial product is launched in the Greek and European market under the brand Humo Oliva. Humo Oliva is an organic fertilizer with excellent fertilization, plant protection and soil improvement properties. It is produced from the wastes of the olive oil production such as leafs from olive trees, the olive stone and the liquid wastes called katsigaros. The production method is based on composting which is a process that enriches the organic matter with microorganisms. The latter have been proved to be very beneficial for the proper nutrition and health of the plant. The current production quantity is about 1,000 tons but full capacity plant can reach 5,000 tons. Currently, it collects the liquid and solid wastes from two olive oil mills.
OT has gained valuable knowledge in producing top quality compost from olive mill wastes. The company has the facilities to produce large quantities of compost from different raw materials and/or differently treated materials. The company owns industrial scale equipment in order to agitate/aerate the compost, sieve the compost and finally pack the compost into 30 Liters plastic bags. Moreover, the facilities of OT contain a well-equipped laboratory for the quality monitoring of the compost. The company has also valuable experience in anaerobic digestion as it was involved in a national project for the construction of a pilot scale UASB digestor for producing biogas from olive oil mill wastes.

Description of the organisation

POOL.ITI S.r.l. was founded in 1982 and has the main activity of managing, under administrative and financial aspects, as well as disseminative aspects, national, european and extra-european innovative projects, both environmental and industrial, in the various meanings.
It has clients all over the national territory and in some other european countries including France, England, Spain, Romania, Bulgaria, Tunisia, Egypt and Ukraine, and boasts a diverse clientele both in business and in size, including multinational.
It has extensive experience in administrative management and coordination, having followed up many environmental european projects that have received significant award by the European Commission.
It has considerable experience in the matter and it collaborated with several Italian universities, including the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Parma, Padova, Siena, Napoli, Trento, Bologna, Ferrara, Politecnico delle Marche, Politecnico of Milan and Politecnico of Torino.
It coordinates national projects, including large size projects, managed by the Ministry of Productive Activities (MISE) and the Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR).
It use external consultants with decades of experience in the field and is managed by graduates in economics and business and by administration and accounting experts.
Under the legal aspect the company makes use of the consultant of a lawyer, specialist in administrative and fiscal matters.
Corroborate the experience boasted by POOL.ITI S.r.l. also the collaborations with important and renowned research facilities such as C.U.R.A. (University of Applied Research Consortium), CESQA (Environmental Quality Study Centre) and CNR (National Research Council), university start-ups, including Advanced Polymer Materials S.r.l. and K4SINT S.r.l., as well as the largest national trade association of small and medium-sized businesses CNA (National Confederation of Crafts and Small and Medium Enterprise).

Description of the organisation

www.sbla.com.cy

The Sewerage Board of Limassol – Amathus is a public utility organisation established by the Council of Ministers Order 248/80 on 5 September 1980 in accordance with the provisions of the Sewerage Systems Law 1971 - 2013. The cornerstone of its mission is the construction, operation and maintenance of the central sewerage system for the collection and treatment of municipal wastewater of the Greater Limassol area, as well as the construction of the basic infrastructure of the stormwater drainage system.
The Limassol – Amathus Sewerage system and the wastewater re-use project is of major importance for Cyprus and is probably the first project of its type which has been designed, developed and operated within the framework of a large, integrated project. The mission of the Sewerage Board is the construction, operation and maintenance of the central sewerage system for the collection and treatment of municipal wastewater of the greater Limassol area, the re-use of the treated water for agricultural and other purposes and optimum sludge disposal. What we are aiming at, is not to discharge even a drop of treated wastewater into the sea. We consider wastewater as a valuable resource which can be utilized more effectively and efficiently. The present pilot project will take place at the premises of the treatment plant in Moni, which is capable of the treatment of 40.000 m3 d-1 and total BOD5 of 15.000 Kg d-1.

Description of the organisation

http://www.disafa.unito.it/do/home.pl

The University of Torino (UNITO) has developed since 2007 processes and products for the valorization of urban and agriculture biowastes. UNITO has published much work on the production and performance of waste derived products in chemical and environmental technology, agriculture and animal husbandry. UNITO is developing new hydrolysis/oxidation processes to convert lignocellulosic materials to added value products with enhanced performance and thus widen their potential marketability. UNITO plans to apply the developed technology to other biowastes wastes and to produce laboratory data to help scale up of the developed technology and of the obtained products to industrial commercial level.
UNITO is equipped with the most laboratory advanced instrumentation for soil and biowastes characterization. It has availability to conduct green house and field agricultural experiments. It has availability of a 500 liter pilot plant to process biowastes by alkaline hydrolysis.
In 2007 UNITO has started cooperation with ACEA and has developed technology at TRL5 proving at small pilot scale that municipal biowaste is a cost-effective source of soluble bioorganic substances (SBO) that can find application in diversified fields; e.g. in the formulation of detergents textile dyeing baths, flocculants, dispersants and binding agents for ceramics manufacture, emulsifiers, auxiliaries for soil/water remediation and enhanced oil recovery, nanostructured materials for chemical and biochemical catalysis, plastic materials, soil fertilizers and plant biostimulants for agriculture, and animal feed supplements. Two patent applications for production processes and products have been recently filed.
A list of 70 papers is available to demonstrate this work (see state of art and innovative aspects section).