(German title: Implementierung einer Wertschöpfungskette auf Basis von Brauereirückständen (BIOVAL))

The bio-economy is now an important part of the European economy and represents an important added value for Europe. The biomass used in this context is mostly of agricultural, forestry or marine origin. However, the materials used can also come from by-products or waste from industrial production - or their conversion. In this context, the brewing industry plays a predominant role in the Greater Region. There are over 4000 breweries in the European Union, which produced 390 million hectolitres of beer in 2013. These brewing processes generate huge quantities of by-products that are currently hardly utilised efficiently. Brewer's spent grains are the main residue here, which is produced as a by-product after the fermentation of grain (90% by volume). Due to its high cellulose content and energy value, spent grains are traditionally mainly utilised as animal feed, even if this is not economically viable. Various studies carried out before 2005 have shown that all of the spent grains produced in French breweries at that time ended up as feed in cattle breeding. The situation has changed completely with the emergence of biofuels in the course of 2005 as a result of various support measures from the EU and other countries, as spent grains are now available in abundance. 
The aim of the BIOVAL project is to establish a cross-border utilisation chain for spent grains. New products with high added value are to be developed from the initial "waste". The underlying cross-border project is aimed in particular at the modern utilisation of agricultural resources and strives to achieve the following strategic goals:

• Utilisation of a by-product of the brewing industry (spent grains), which is produced in surplus quantities in the Greater Region and is currently only utilised to a limited extent and inefficiently; detailed studies on possible conversion and utilisation options for spent grains, which are expressly not in competition with other conventional uses (e.g. addition to animal feed);
  Utilisation of a sustainable resource with the help of environmentally friendly processes from green chemistry (fermentation, grinding) that additionally contribute to sustainable development and even open up new lucrative industrial production opportunities;
• Assistance for companies and organisations in research and development, providing expertise to enable the development and implementation of new technologies and products, thereby increasing competitiveness;
  Promoting the bio-economy, firstly in the brewing industry, secondly in the diversification of the chemical industry with raw materials of biological origin, thirdly in the development of promising new processes and technologies for "refinement" and fourthly for suppliers and users in the Greater Region (chemical, pharmaceutical, cosmetics and food industries);
• Contribute to the common challenge of the entire Greater Region in terms of waste management, and in particular the valorisation of organic substances and fractions;
• The valorisation of by-products and waste products in the context of a circular economy, prioritising the need to develop chemical intermediates that meet the needs of the market.