BIONEER

PROMOFER, is an Innovation Action project funded by the CBE-JU, under topic HORIZON-JU-CBE-2023-IA-03 (Improve Fermentation Processes (Including Downstream Purification) To Final Bio-Based Products). This project started in June 2024 with Celignis, an SME partner and full industry BIC member, playing a pivotal role in the project. Our core activities include undertaking the pre-treatment and hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass at scaled-up (TRL7, 1 m3) volumes. The resulting sugars are then provided to other partners for downstream fermentations.

MANUREFINERY, is an Innovation Action project funded by the CBE-JU, under topic HORIZON-JU-CBE-2023-IA-01 (Small Scale Biorefining In Rural Areas). This project will start in September 2024 with Celignis, an SME partner and full industry BIC member, involved in the analysis of feedstocks and products of the process. We are also contributing towards the technoeconomic analysis (TEA) of the technologies.

Concens the development of an integrated biorefinery to make a portfolio of bio-based solvents from 2G sugars and furans obtained from spent coffee grounds and woody biomass. Celignis's activities include (i) Design and optimisation of a high-cell-density, two-stage Clostridial process for butanol from hydrolysates; (ii) in-situ solvent recovery via membrane/ extractive set-ups; (iii) enzymatic hydrolysis of both feedstocks.

WoodVALOR valorises contaminated/post-consumer wood waste (WW) via: (i) thermal conversion to biochar; and (ii) fractionation followed by conversions to paints & coatings ingredients. Celignis is involved in Chemo-enzymatic fractionation of decontaminated wood (DW) to sequentially extract/purify lignin and hemicellulose, and in developing hemicellulose-based emulsifiers/stabilizers and binder monomers for industrial formulations. Additionally, Celignis is involved in metals/mineral recovery from decontamination wastewater using biochar produced in the project.

LIGNOFUN funnels lignin streams into high-value aromatics. Celignis leads WP4, putting crude low molecular weight (LMW) lignin through integrated membrane and solvent fractionation into fractions for bioactivity screening (antioxidant, UV-absorbance, antimicrobial, emulsion stabilization), followed by enzymatic/chemical grafting (e.g., sugars, fatty acids) to tune solubility/surface functionality and stability.

Develop and demonstrate bio-based construction products (e.g., wall panels, flooring tiles, sandwich structures). Celignis leads materials development: chemo-enzymatic extraction and fractionation of lignin/xylan/cellulose from agri/forest residues, followed by advanced chemical modification of xylan and lignin (mixed-molecule grafting, acylation and silylation) to tailor hydrophobicity, flow/rheology (via DP control), mechanical strength, and fire resistance for injection-moulding/3D-printing.