Agro-industries can boost their competitiveness by turning residues into new bio products during idle periods

AGROinLOG is a project funded by the European Commission to improve the competitiveness of agro-industries through their transformation into Integrated Biomass Logistics Centres (IBLC).

But, what does an IBLC do? An IBLC takes advantage of the facilities of an agro-industry, its network of contacts and its own residues or non-used local resources, to create new activities and obtain new bio products, such as biomass, biofuels or raw materials for other sectors.

AGROinLOG will test the IBLC concept in three real experimental plants. In Spain at a fodder industry, in Greece at an olive oil industry, and in Sweden inside a grain-milling industry.

With these pilots, a new logistics chain will be developed and the existing equipment will be adapted to the new production. In addition, the technical, financial, and environmental feasibility of the new activity and the final quality of the new products will be evaluated.

After analysing these three industries, it will be studied how to replicate the IBLC business model in another seven agro-industries from different sectors.

As a result of these measures, agro-industries will be able to create a new activity with lower investment, achieving between 1-2 million euros of savings during the first decade.

But most importantly, new business lines will arise. It is expected that their incomes will be increased by more than 12 %, stabilizing their annual activity (avoiding idle periods) and maintaining or creating new jobs.