Research & Development

In Austria, 1.3 million tons of unavoidable organic by-products from food processing are generated annually. Currently, these residues are mainly used as animal feed and for biogas production. These organic by-products are regionally available and cost-effective resources with high-quality (protein) components.

The material and energy recovery of food residues and research into new products are crucial measures for promoting the Austrian circular economy. These approaches help to reduce CO2 emissions, improve soil health, and develop sustainable solutions such as organic growing media and biofertilizers. The challenges here are to develop efficient processes that make the best possible use of recyclable materials and ensure that the resulting residues are recycled in the best possible way. 
CircularFood has set itself the goal of incorporating regionally available food waste into the recycling cycle through innovative processes, thereby closing the material cycles of selected products. CircularFood pursues a circular approach to further develop innovative processes and technologies. The aim is to obtain high-quality protein components from various residues for the first time, to investigate the effects on possible subsequent biogas production, and to develop innovative bio-liquid fertilizers, new culture substrates (peat substitutes), and fertilizer pellets from the fermentation residues. 
 The technical innovation of the process lies in the further development of an oscillating extraction reactor, which offers outstanding properties for protein extraction from residues, as well as in membrane distillation for the recovery of ammonium and the production of a bio-liquid fertilizer. In view of the phase-out of peat in Austria and the increasing demand for peat-reduced biosubstrates in commercial horticulture, the CircularFood project offers the opportunity to use locally available peat substitutes from waste materials, thus enabling sustainable self-sufficiency for businesses. In addition to technical innovations and ecological assessments, the project is investigating which existing tools and databases can be used for the possible digital traceability of residual materials to products. The project aims to evaluate the overall balance in detail through material and energy balancing, carbon stability analysis, and life cycle assessments to determine whether the circular approach can be considered “net zero” or even “negative emissions.