Green Biorefining is now also underway in Sweden
On June 2, the first harvest entered the new test facility for green biorefining at Sötåsen Naturbruksskolan in Töreboda. In the refinery, the crops are turned into protein feed, which will be used for experimental feeding of cows, pigs and sheep, as well as sugar that will be used in the farm's biogas plant. The plant in Sötåsen is made as part of the Green Valley project a Swedish-Danish project on green biorefining in the Skagerrak-Kattegat area.
Green Valleys is a Danish-Swedish development project that focuses on green biorefining and circular bioeconomy in the Skagerrak-Kattegat area. Part of the project is to find solutions for efficient land use that can meet the growing demand for regionally produced energy and feed.
The new biorefinery plant at the Sötåsen Naturburksskolan in Töreboda will be used to demonstrate the opportunities for a variety of stakeholders from energy companies, biogas producers, plant producers, seed companies, feed companies, and dairy and meat producers.
“So far we have processed grass for animal feed. It will be used for various experiments with feeding of cows, pigs and sheep. We plan to refine silage for the autumn,” says Andrea von Essen, project manager for the Swedish Natural Resources Agency's part in the project. “The start-up has gone according to plan, and we have a really good team at the test facility at Sötåsen, and we have received good support from our Danish project colleagues from Aarhus University as well,” she continues.
Communicate knowledge and inspire
The new test facility at the Sötåsen Naturbruksskolan in Töreboda will also be used to impart knowledge and inspiration to the farmers of the future, as well as children and young people.
“The test facility is an important investment. It allows us to show our students how circular bioeconomy will work in practice on a farm. It is a great asset that this development project is run in such close collaboration with our educational programs,” says Bo Grenabo Tapper, school director at the Swedish Natural Resources Administration.
There are several partners involved in the Green Valleys project and the new biorefinery in Sötåsen is the second of its kind. The first test facility was built at Aarhus University in Foulum just over a year ago. It is larger than the new one in Sweden, but functions in the same way as test and demonstration plants. Green Valleys is led and coordinated by Agroväst.
“Green Valleys show investment opportunities in green biorefining. The project makes it possible to find solutions right down to the farm level, where the production of biogas can help increase the amount of regionally produced feed and bioenergy. With a biorefinery plant like this, larger areas of grass also follow, increasing carbon storage in the fields, increasing biodiversity and reducing leaching of nutrients from the soil,” says Ulrika Åkesson, project manager at Agroväst.
About Green Valleys
The project is funded by the EU program Interreg Öresund-Kattegatt-Skagerrak and the development board in the Västra Götaland region. In addition to the Natural Resources Administration, partners in the project are also the Swedish University of Agriculture (SLU), Chalmers University, Sjuhärad Husholdningsselskab, Agroväst, Aarhus University, and Skive Municipality.
Read more here
https://agrovast.se/forsta-vallskord-raffineras-pa-sotasen/
Contact
The Natural Resources Administration: Andrea von Essen, andrea.von.essen@vgregion.se, +46 076-8320597
Agrovest: Ulrika Åkesson, ulrika.akesson@agrovast.se, +46 070-3105630
Contact at AU: Morten Ambye Jensen, maj@eng.au.dk, +45 93508009 og Uffe Jørgensen, uffe.korgensen@agro.au.dk, +45 21337831.