ExtraBark

Inspiration

The Greater Region territory is characterized by a significant, well-established, and interconnected wood processing industry (supply and sales), generating various by-products, including bark, which are currently underutilized (mainly used for energy or mulching). The region also has chemical industry players seeking bio-based alternatives with strong interest in extractable molecules from plant resources. Apart from a few specialized players, there is currently no established plant extraction industry in this area to meet this demand.

Innovation

The Interreg Grande-Région ExtraBark project aims to address this challenge by removing barriers to establishing such an industrial sector. The project proposes the development and validation of innovative, realistic, and industrializable techno-economic models based on using bark by-products for extracting biologically interesting molecules.

Among the promising application sectors, priority will be given to plant and wood material protection. This protection is a significant challenge considering climate change, increasing water stress, the emergence of new fungi, bacteria, and insects, and evolving legislation concerning increasingly controversial phytosanitary products.

LIST will thus develop new concepts based on plant-related bioprocesses, promoting innovative strategies and optimized processes that use plants as molecular factories. These "factories" will then produce high-value compounds for the environmental biotechnology sector.

To this end, LIST already adopts responsible research and innovation approaches to reduce impacts and risks associated with industrial production and process development.

Impact

ExtraBark integrates all valorization pathways for bark, including exploiting final low-value residues after extraction (energy or insulation panels). The results will primarily benefit wood and chemical companies and SMEs in the Grande Région, as well as their regional support organizations.

The development of this sector addresses the reality of existing cross-border connections between industrial players capable of offering adequate solutions. Currently, bark is mainly burned (with low calorific value) or used for mulching. By extracting valuable molecules present in bark, a new valorization step will be added, increasing the bark's value. Thus, ExtraBark will address the entire process of tree bark treatment: from wood separation to processing by-products after extracting valuable molecules.

The project will provide necessary information and tools to value chain actors to develop the sector and optimize resource use. The consortium's development of new bio-based sanitary products aims to improve the overall health of plants and reduce the use of phytosanitary products.