The platform chemicals sector heavily depends on fossil fuels. Current biobased chemicals rely on sugar, starch, and oil crops, diverting them from food uses and causing high environmental impacts. Lignocellulosic feedstocks, particularly residues, are more sustainable, but the range of chemicals produced from them at scale has been limited. Current biobased chemicals also lack the functionalities of fossil-derived chemicals.

BIONEER, officialy started on June 1st, 2024, and funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement n° 101157779, tackles this issue by producing new carbohydrate-derived building blocks and platform chemicals at TRL6/7, featuring additional functionalities through optimized chemical and enzymatic modifications. This allows for mass-market substitution of fossil-derived chemicals. Building on previous TRL4/5 advances, BIONEER covers the entire value cycle, from sustainable feedstock sourcing to biomass fraction modification, and application testing in UV-cured coatings and personal care sectors.

Safety and sustainability are integral to BIONEER, adhering to and improving the EU’s safe-and-sustainable-by-design (SSbD) framework. With key technology developers and industrial partners, BIONEER technologies are expected to be rapidly commercialized post-project.

CiaoTech - PNO Group is the partner responsible of WP6: Market, Engagement of Society and Key Actors, Dissemination and Exploitation.