CIRCLE

• Build an industrial-scale CIRCLE biorefinery by retrofitting a pre-existing facility. 
• Maximise the flexibility of the energy supply within the plant by expanding the use of renewable energy resources to increase the overall resource efficiency of the process. 
• Increase the use of multiple by-product streams in the CIRCLE flagship plant, expanding the current feedstock portfolio processed in the existing biorefinery. This will lead to a yearly conversion of about 117,000 tonnes of food waste and other by-products into high-value bio-based compounds. 
• Demonstrate the industrial-scale operation of the new CIRCLE 'multi-purpose' biorefinery. 
• Validate and demonstrate the wide industrial-level applicability of the bio-based chemical materials and how they meet the market requirements. 
• Ensure the sustainability and circularity of the value chain. 
• Demonstrate the replication potential of the new concept in the European Union and associated countries by offering a widely scalable technology that can be rapidly deployed across multiple sites.

By increasing the product scope of an existing biorefinery, CIRCLE expects to: 

• Develop a replicable industrial-scale retrofitted biorefinery in Europe, benefitting a wide range of stakeholders. 
• Diversify product portfolios and increase the range of used waste, promote higher resource efficiency and energy consumption at a local level, and create job opportunities across the European Union. 
• Implement sustainable biorefinery processes to ensure economic and environmental sustainability. This will allow for new knowledge on processes and methods for LA and PLA synthesis and purification, as well as the sustainable creation of locally sourced feedstock. Furthermore, it will advance the offering of a competitive and environmentally friendly solution to existing products and contribute to the objectives of climate neutrality and zero pollution. 
• Demonstrate the wide applicability of CLS, LA, and PLA for fully marketable and socially acceptable products by promoting the scientific understanding of both CLS and LA use for cosmetic and cleaning products and PLA for packaging and automotive sectors. 
• Promote the customer and consumer uptake of bio-based solutions across sectors.