In Ireland, Munster Technological University (MTU) has secured €3 million in funding from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) to lead a major research demonstration project aimed at transforming Ireland’s grassland sector. The Grass4Value project will advance cutting-edge green biorefinery technologies, building on the recent launch of MTU’s pilot biorefinery facility in Kerry.
According to a statement, the funding represents a significant milestone in Ireland’s transition towards sustainable agriculture and a circular bioeconomy. It brings together a group of leading institutions, including MTU, University College Dublin (UCD), Teagasc and University of Galway.
Our farmers and food producers need access to the best possible evidence, technologies and practices. This research investment will generate the insights and innovations required to meet those needs, said Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon TD when announcing the funding.
The Grass4Value project will connect several new Irish demonstration and pilot-scale bioeconomy sites, including MTU’s pilot biorefinery, Ireland’s first demonstration-scale Green Biorefinery and Anaerobic Digestion facility at Farm Zero C in Co. Cork, and the new National Bioeconomy Pilot Plant at Lisheen in Co. Tipperary, to develop innovative processes for converting grass and legumes into high-value products.
This investment reflects MTU’s leadership in bioeconomy research and builds on the success of our recently launched green biorefinery. Through Grass4Value, we are working with national partners to unlock new opportunities for Irish agriculture, supporting farmers while contributing to climate and sustainability goals, said Professor Hugh McGlynn, VP for Research at MTU.
Develop tangible new value chains
The Grass4Value project builds on a series of national initiatives in grassland and bioeconomy research, including the Rural BioReFarmeries project and will include industry engagement, large-scale validation trials and training programmes to support adoption across the sector.
This DAFM Grass4Value project builds on the recent awarding by DAFM of €3.1 million in infrastructure to MTU and UCD to develop a grass biorefinery and anaerobic digestion demonstration facility at Farm Zero C in Cork in collaboration with Carbery Group. The project will evaluate and demonstrate new ways in which grass biorefining can help to make farming in Ireland more resilient and robust, particularly in light of current market volatility and other environmental and socio-economic pressures, commented Professor James Gaffey, Project Coordinator and co-Director of CircBio at MTU.
The project aims to develop tangible new value chains which can support more competitive and resilient grassland farming in Ireland.
In addition to producing a presscake fibre feed for cows, the project will produce and test sustainable grass-based protein concentrate alternatives to imported soy, which will be evaluated in calf, ewe and pig trials.
The project will also scale technologies to support the development of higher-value functional protein ingredients from grass-based feedstocks towards human food products, further enhancing the value of grass.
Grass4Value will also advance downstream technologies, including anaerobic digestion (AD) and precision fermentation, to target the production of feed and food ingredients, energy and fertilisers in a circular process.
This collaboration, led by MTU, brings together several BiOrbic researchers with complementary expertise to work together to develop technologies that can accelerate innovation in green biorefining. The integration of two deep demonstration sites, Shinagh farm, Bandon, Co. Cork (Farm Zero C) and Lisheen, Co. Tipperary (National Biorefining Pilot Plant), into the project demonstrates the vision and ambition of the project to test at scale and develop real-world solutions using Ireland’s most abundant natural resource, said Professor Kevin O’Connor, University College Dublin and Director of the BiOrbic Research Centre.
