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Green Biorefining Technologies

The Green Biorefining Technologies Group (GBT) work with separating fresh green biomass into a fibre pulp, protein products and a residual liquid known as brown juice on a demonstration platform located in AU Viborg, Foulum.

Here, different plants like grass, clover, lucerne, after crops, seaweed, and more exotic bio resources like cassava leaves are processed and tested in the demonstration platform in three levels: the biorefinery, the process hall and the laboratory.

The demonstration platform is unique of its kind. Since it was inagurated in 2019, it has delivered solid data and state-of-the art-results in the technology of green biorefinery with focus on technologies which can be used commercially. The demonstration platform is flexible, and is continuously optimized and innovated - depending on the research- and develop projects it is used for. The machines are made for industrial use and can be scaled and used by stakeholders who wants to work with green biorefinery and produce high value products like feed, food, biomaterials, bio energy and fertilizer.

There is a huge potential for growing more perennial green crops with significant environmental advantages in Denmark. By increasing our domestic agricultural biomass production and green biorefining capacity, we can begin to rely less heavily on imports like soya.

Biorefining is an essential form of production in a biobased and circular bioeconomic society, where the whole bioresource can be utilized. 

Figure: Process diagram of the biorefinery plant, made by Thalles Andrade, AU

Lucerne in five different qualities after processing the demonstration platform. From the left: fresh lucerne; macerated and pressed fibre pulp; green juice; green protein concentrate; brown juice. Photos: Ida Marie Jensen