Bioeconomy Arena will make Sweden a world leader in bioeconomy

“There is no shortage of good ideas,” asserts Mossberg. “But turning them into reality requires testbeds, insight into practical applications, and vastly different operators coming together under relatively equal conditions. This is becoming increasingly difficult when both universities and industry – often for cost reasons – cut into the steps needed between idea and finished product. RISE can play a big role in this. Here you can share the costs of building and using infrastructure, and at the same time share expertise in development, processes, and methods. For small and growing companies, it can be difficult to bear the costs of an entire innovation process, but if you share the costs with others in the same situation and make use of our services, the costs become manageable.”

Great potential in refining biomass

There is now great potential for utilising biomass that was previously used in less developed production or from residual streams that were not used at all. By making lignin odourless, it can be used as a component in biobased interiors, such as in cars. Even the carbon dioxide itself from biogas production, for example, can be used to produce electrofuel or other chemical building blocks, and ultimately be turned into biobased plastics.

“Carbon capture and purification in particular are testing activities where we see that our pilots can be of great benefit,” says Hallberg. “Parts of the industry may not have seen the full value yet, but RISE’s role is to identify needs and clarify benefits before everyone else in the industry.”

“The amount of biomass is limited, and will be even more limited in the future,” explains Mossberg. “By driving and facilitating testing, we can ensure that its use leads to the greatest possible benefit and resource efficiency, both in the short and long terms. Even the transition to things that become bridges towards a completely biobased economy can make a difference.”

“It’s going to happen to a greater extent than we think – we don’t have a choice, the transition is here,” says Hallberg. “When RISE has been able to provide support, we have done so based on what we’ve had access to. And we are already seeing how companies in different areas of production processes, sustainable chemicals, and sludge management are emerging around our operations. With greater infrastructure and more opportunities for collaboration, much more will also happen.”