Enhanced bioconversion of agricultural residues through cascading use
The BIOrescue project aims to develop and demonstrate a new innovative biorefinery concept based on the cascading use of spent mushroom substrate (SMS) supplemented by wheat straw (and other seasonal underutilised lignocellulosic feedstocks. i.e pruning residues, residual citrus peels and wastes). This new concept will avoid disposal and allow for the production of some biodegradable bio-based products and bioactive compounds that will help to replace the existing ones based on fossil resources.

The research will help to expand the business opportunities of the mushroom cultivation farms, and the know-how and business opportunities of all the partners involved. The main innovations are:
- Improved methods for the lab-based rapid (NIR) analysis of biomass
- Innovative two step fractionation of SMS
- Synergic effects for complete SMS glucan hydrolysis
- Innovative enzyme immobilisation strategy
- Development of highly efficient glucan-enzymes
- Novel lignin based nano- and micro-carriers
- Biopesticide production from monomeric sugars SMS derived and their packaging into nanocarriers

The consortium involved is a representation of some BIC members including a large company (Monaghan Mushrooms) which is leading the proposal and some SMEs (MetGen Oy and CLEA Technologies) and BIC associate members (University of Naples and CENER). Additionally other relevant partners with well-known expertise in their respective areas contribute to the objectives. Among them some research organisations (Imperial College of London and Max Planck Institute of Polymers) and Innovative SMEs (Celignis Limited, Zabala Innovation Consulting, Greenovate Europe and C-TECH Innovation Ltd). The synergies between large industry and SME’s go beyond the scope of this project. There is a lot of potential for collaboration between agricultural industry (Monaghan) and biotechnology (MetGen and CLEA) to provide novel solutions for continuous circular economy in large agriculture-based value-chains.