Green Valleys
Naturbruksskolan Sötåsen in Töreboda has a unique test facility for biorefining. The facility is part of a larger EU-funded multi-stakeholder project aimed at creating a new platform for the development of green biorefining and circular systems.
About the project
Having more grassland in the crop rotation not only increases carbon sequestration and soil productivity, it also reduces eutrophication and the need for pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. Biomass from grasslands can be used as a raw material in green biorefineries, producing both a high-quality protein and a variety of high value byproducts with broad range of applications.
The project has led to the development of two demonstration and testing facilities. The plant at Sötåsen serves as a pilot for farm-based organic farming. A larger conventional plant is located at the Aarhus University Research Center. The project has shown that biorefinery of grass can be used both as a high value protein feed and as bioenergy. The project has produced a protein concentrate with a protein content similar to that of soy. The residual products from the biorefinery can be used both as animal feed and as a substrate for biogas, which has also been tested at Naturbruksskolan Sötåsen. System analyses from the project have shown that carbon storage in the soil is increased, and by integrating the system with a biogas plant, it can make it profitable to replace imported plant protein.
There are several reasons why the plant was built at Sötåsen – there was already a biogas plant on the farm that could be integrated with the refinery, as well as opportunities to utilize the existing grasslands.
The four-year project has been made possible in Sweden with support from the EU Interreg Öresund-Kattegat-Skagerrak and the Västra Götaland Regional Development Board. In total, the project has been funded by the equivalent of €5 million. Partners include Agroväst as the project owner, Chalmers, the Department of natural resources, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Hushållningssällskapet Sjuhärad, Aarhus University and Skive municipality.
Project summary
PROJECT NAME
Green Valleys
STATUS
Ongoing
OUR ROLE IN THE PROJECT
Project partner
PROJECT START
2019-10-01
DURATION
7 years
PARTNERS
Aarhus universitet (Danmark)
Agroväst
Chalmers Tekniska Högskola
Hushållningssällskapet Sjuhärad
Skive kommune
SLU Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet