This November, our European Project Coordinator, Professor Nathalie Gontard from the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment has been in China to visit the thirteen Chinese academic and industrial organisations in the AgriLoop project.
Over the next three years, they will work together with another twenty-two partners from across Europe to develop sustainable processes to convert agri-food residues into high-value products and find new uses for agri-residues which account for around 50% of the fresh weight of harvested crops – as they are currently an underexploited resource for both Europe and China.
Presenting at an international conference
During the visit Nathalie was warmly welcomed by our Chinese Project Coordinator, Professor Aimin Shi from the Institute of Food Science and Technology Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences. The visit began with Nathalie giving a talk on the recent advances in high-tech biomass composites – latest circular economy reasoning for agricultural residues biorefineries at the International Conference on Renewable Materials 2023 in Nanjing. As part of the visit to Nanjing, Nathalie and Aimin visited historical landmarks in the local area such as the Ming Xiaoling, a mausoleum of the Hongwu Emperor, the founder of the Ming dynasty.
Developing partnerships
Over the course of two weeks Nathalie and Aimin were met by several of the Chinese partners involved in the project. These visits include:
Microbial fertilisers
Nathalie and Aimin went to the Beijing Century Ames Biotechnology Co Ltd which will work with Dr Zhiyong Ruan from the Institute of Agricultural Resources and Agricultural Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. They are responsible for microbial fermentation of breeding waste, high-quality bio-fertiliser preparation technology and pilot demonstration. The CEO Zuke Du, Manager Hao Wei and Manager Wu Shufeng showcased the strain screening laboratory, fermentation workshop, drying workshop and test greenhouse for bio-fertiliser.
Microbial protein production and application of microbial fermentation
Nathalie and Aimin attended a project meeting at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences’ Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning. The Institute is responsible for the utilisation of agricultural organic waste for microbial protein production and the research and application of microbial fermentation technology. During the meeting, Dr Gao Wei and Dr Ruan Zhiyong led a tour of the China Agricultural Culture Collection and the relevant laboratories. Nathalie presented an academic report titled “Circular economy reasoning for agricultural residues biorefineries and petrochemicals products substitution.”
Microbial polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA)
Nathalie and Aimin went to HeBei NACOL Biotechnology Co Ltd who which will collaborate with Dr Chao Yang and Dr Ruihua Liu from Nankai University. They are responsible for microbial fermentation of breeding waste, high-quality biopolymer (such as PHA) preparation technology and pilot demonstration. During the meeting, the CEO/Founder Lanju Xu, Manager Zhong Guo, Manager Changbo Cui, Manager Yuexin Yu and the President of the Association of Science and Technology of Shijiazhuang City as well as Yaqin Wei led the visit to the strain screening laboratory, fermentation workshop.
Green extraction and enzymatic modification
Nathalie and Aimin continued their visit as they met with Dr Hui Hu as they discussed the project at the Institute of Food Science and Technology of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences who are responsible for researching green extraction and enzymatic modification technology and applying high-value food components from agricultural organic waste. A series of meetings were held, Aimin and Hui answered the questions of the European side about the sources and uses of raw materials of peanut processing waste.
Forging links with other EU-projects
Whilst at the Institute of Food Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (IFST-CAAS) AgriLoop held its monthly consortium catch-up meeting. Three EU research project leaders from BRILIAN, MainstreamBIO, BioRural were invited to present their own project including aim, content, research progress and expected outcomes. The attendees had an in-depth discussions and exchanges on potential cooperation goals and scientific research fields. Nathalie pointed out that AgriLoop has similarities with the objectives of the three EU projects, and there could be synergies. She hoped that through in-depth cooperation and exchange, repetitive work will be reduced, research output will be improved, and the impact of project results will be expanded. Aimin noted that it is necessary and beneficial to strengthen the cooperation among related projects. He hoped that the basic evaluation model of other EU projects can be applied in AgriLoop to promote the mutual progress in our projects. The convening of this monthly meeting has deepened the cooperation consensus between China and EU, clarified the research content, general guidelines and next step plans of each work package, expanded the cooperation potential with other EU projects, and laid a solid foundation for the successful implementation of AgriLoop.
After the meeting Nathalie and the Chinese work package leaders visited the laboratory of the Plant Protein Structure and Function Regulation Innovation Team in IFST-CAAS, and tasted the innovative products developed by the team, such as plant-based hamburgers, plant-based yogurt, plant-based ice cream, plant-based cream, and high-quality peanut butter.
Going forward
This visit starts the journey to strengthen European and Chinese cooperation and opens up new avenues for flexible, agri-based value chains, enabling the consortium to join forces to increase agricultural sustainability, grow the bioeconomy and tackle climate change and plastic pollution. Whilst in China Nathalie also plans to visit to the Biogas Institute of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Sichuan Runge Biology Science and Technology Co Ltd company in mid-December. Looking to the future it is anticipated that the whole consortium will visit the Chinese partners and facilities in 2025.