{"id":10811,"date":"2021-04-19T08:39:02","date_gmt":"2021-04-19T07:39:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/?p=10811"},"modified":"2021-09-06T10:29:52","modified_gmt":"2021-09-06T09:29:52","slug":"pilot-plant-biomass-extraction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/pilot-plant-biomass-extraction\/10811\/","title":{"rendered":"Switzerland’s first pilot plant for indigenous forest biomass extraction"},"content":{"rendered":"

With their pilot plant for the production of extracts from indigenous forest biomass, the BFH<\/a> and Schilliger Holz AG<\/a> have set a milestone in the development of a new value-added chain for the forestry and wood industry.<\/h3>\n

For the first time, it is possible to produce biomass extracts<\/a> in sufficient quantity and quality for the development of technologically mature applications. Extraction processes are also being tested in a pilot phase. The aim is to adapt them to an industrial production scale.<\/p>\n

From the laboratory to industrial maturity<\/h3>\n

From 2015 to 2018, based on the National Research Programme \u2018Resource Wood\u2019s\u2019 (NRP 66) TannEx project, scientists at BFH demonstrated the chemical composition of conifer bark extracts for the first time. They also determined the influence of the extraction parameters on the chemical composition. The results indicate that hot water extraction allows the cost-effective production of substances from the bark and wood of indigenous coniferous species (spruce, fir, pine, and larch), but also from certain hardwoods such as chestnut and oak. Within the framework of Innosuisse projects, a number of products for various markets have been developed or are being developed at BFH using such extracts.<\/p>\n

However, the validation of these applications on a pilot scale has so far failed, mostly because extracts from suitable processes were not available in sufficient quantity and quality. The new pilot extraction facility planned for the BFH site in Biel (Switzerland) is intended to close this gap. The infrastructure project, which is being carried out jointly by the Bern University of Applied Sciences and Schilliger Holz AG, is supported by the Federal Office for the Environment. The plant successfully started in December 2020.<\/p>\n

The pilot biomass plant as a key element<\/h3>\n

The infrastructure of the plant itself enables certain substances to be obtained from forest biomass and sawmill residues on a pilot scale. The water- and solvent-based extraction processes mainly isolate phenolic substances (phenolic monomers as well as condensed oligomeric polyphenols or \u2018tannins\u2019). The capacity of the plant makes it possible to process a maximum of 50kg of biomass per day. In a second step, the highly concentrated extracts obtained can be dried into powder form.<\/p>\n

Additional technology units are already available at BFH for the following process steps:<\/p>\n