BioRen is a research project funded by The European Commission through its Horizon 2020 research program. This project will develop competitive, next-generation drop in biofuels from the organic fraction in Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), thereby contributing to the implementation of the circular economy.
Biofuel from Municipal Solid Waste (MSW)
The production of biofuels from agricultural crops, such as sugar cane and corn, puts undue pressure on the available land for growing food crops.
By investigating the possibility to produce biofuels from the organic fraction of municipal solid waste, BioRen’s contribution will be twofold; better waste processing as well as biofuel production.
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Next level waste treatment
to challenge the global waste crisis
on a global scale. Governments around the world and the European Commission
in particular, are pushing legislation to target this crisis.
continues worldwide and CO2-emissions still peak to record heights.
As a first step, the organic fraction is isolated from other waste at the pilot plant using a fully automated sorting installation with a combination of a number of separation techniques:
- Wind sifters
- Drum sifters
-
Magnetic and eddy current separation (to separate non-ferrous metals)
-
Infrared sorters
This step is followed by the preparation and conditioning of the feedstock to optimize the yield in the next process steps. Vossen Laboratories of the Netherlands is Responsible of the optimization of this process step.
- Water resistant
- High carbon content
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Maximum of 10% ash content
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At least 23MJ/kg caloric value

BioRen helps to solve the waste problem by producing biofuels from waste.
The objective of the project is the development of competitive drop-in second generation biofuels such as bio-ethanol and bio-isobutanol, from the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) rather than agricultural crops. This way, BioRen contributes to the circular economy.
Validation and lifecycle analysis
The second generation biofuels the BioRen project produces are subject to extensive engine tests at the University of Lund in Sweden, assessing their performance, emission specs and fuel consumption rate.In order to assess the process and to find the optimal business case for exploitation on an industrial level, it is subject to a lifecycle analysis. The first industrial application of the process developed by the BioRen Consortium is realized at the pilot plant facilities of DeCiDe in Ostend, Belgium.
It is there that all stakeholders, from legislators to the industry and investors as well as the general public are able to catch a first glimpse of the future of waste processing and biofuel production.
