MixMatters: Smart and flexible separation and valorisation of mixed bio-waste from the agri-food value chain

MixMatters website
MixMatters
Organisation or Company
MixMatters Project
Type of organisation or company
Research institute
Country
Spain
Language for original content
English
Key Area
Waste management
Project elaborated in partnership
Yes
Partners
AINIA
Naturstoff-Technik
VITO (Flemish Intitution for Technological Research)
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland
(ILVO) Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
Cluster Association FOOD+i
Tecnalia Research & Innovation
University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences
Industrial Solutions and Environmental Treatments
Las Naves
WAGRALIM
FEDACOVA | Agri-food Business Federation of the Valencian Community
ENCO
Recycleyed
University of Almeria
Institute for Environmental, protection of Sensors, Production, Trader, and Ser…
BIONET
FUNDITEC
Sector
Awareness raising,
Behavioural incentives,
Circular action for climate neutrality,
Industrial techniques,
Innovation and investment,
Machinery and Equipment,
Recover, Regenerative economy,
Recycling,
Research,
Social impact,
Waste management & Secondary Raw Materials
Scope
EU
Submitted by
Cluster Food+i
Start/End date
to
Ongoing
Yes
Expected end date
05/2027
Type of funding
Public (CBE JU-funded projects (2022 call)),
EU program
Description

MixMatters introduces the Integrated System, a pioneering and adaptable solution for effectively valorising mixed biological waste. It consists of three key components:

  1. The mobile and modular Separation Unit is responsible for sorting and separating the feedstock and concentrating the recovered streams of mixed agri-food waste. Using robotics and AI, it can process various waste types on-site, eliminating the need for complex transportation.
  2. The Valorisation Hub, a fixed biorefinery, uses advanced technologies to process the separated streams, generating six valuable outputs. Following a cascading use approach, the entire stream is efficiently utilised.
  3. An advanced Decision Support system brings the entire process together. The system optimises the configuration and logistics for maximum efficiency. It can adapt to regional contexts and offers processing variability to serve diverse agri-food sectors effectively.

During the project, MixMatters will conduct three comprehensive demonstrations in Spain, two of which will be located in Valencia and one in the Almería region. Their primary aim is to separate and valorise a total of 48 tonnes of mixed biological waste.

More project information on the Circular Bio-based Europe website.

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Main activity field
Professional, scientific and technical activities
Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities
Identified challenge (s)
Behavioural change
Complex process to make circular
Lack of circular infrastructure
Quality issues
Useful application of recycled materials
Main results

Main goal: to establish and showcase the MixMatters Integrated System, which separates and valorises three mixed bio-waste streams from the agri-food industry. These streams may contain impurities such as plastics, cardboard or metals.

Some specific results:

  • Six high value-added outputs (powder ingredients, sugar concentrates, recombinant proteins, green fibres, bioactive compounds and plastic monomers)
  • Prevention of 21 tonnes of annual CO2 emissions during the demonstration phase
  • Avoid landfilling/incineration of 6.240t/y of mixed agri-food waste
  • Contribution to higher acceptance of bio-based solutions among relevant actors and the general public.