SYLFEED

From forest to feed: enable the wood industry to bridge the protein gap

Project details

Type of project: Innovation Action - Demonstration
Project focus: Food, feed & cosmetics
Feedstock origin: Forestry waste
Feedstock type: Lignin & wood residues

Project period: 1 September 2017 - 31 August 2021
Status: Completed
CBE JU Contribution: € 8 695 068,1
Call identifier: H2020-BBI-JTI-2016

Summary

Europe faces a major protein deficit, ranging between 80 and 70 % over the past 40 years, which has been covered by imports. At the same time, as the world population grows, the demand for food will increase globally. The SYLFEED project started to bridge this gap by upscaling a biorefinery concept that could convert woody biomass into high-value single-cell protein (SCP) for use as animal feed, notably in increasing fish production.

Wood residues are abundant and highly sustainable, while SCP has an amino-acid profile close to that of fish, making them an excellent raw material in fish feed formulation. The SYLFEED project demonstrated the conversion of woody biomass into proteins for use in aquaculture, establishing synergies between the forestry industry and the protein fish feed market. It created new high-value opportunities for the forestry sector and an alternative and sustainable protein source for fish farms.

The overall objective of the SYLFEED project was to build a demonstration plant with the capacity to treat 15 tonnes of biomass per day, or up to 5,000 tons of biomass per year.

It also set technological, socio-economic and environmental objectives:

From a technological perspective, the project intended to reach recovery levels of sugars from biomass like those at the pilot scale. It also proved the feasibility of continuous operation and integrated recycling loops to reuse more than 99% of phosphoric acid.
From a socio-economic perspective, the project aimed to provide a significant return on investment from the biorefineries, making it attractive to potential investors. It also provided end-to-end mutual economic benefits between biomass providers, biorefineries, and fish feed producers.
From an environmental perspective, the project aimed to reduce contributions to human-induced global warming compared to other protein sources, with combined lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions and other contributions being less than 50 % of alternatives. It also minimised human-induced global warming in the protein production chain by sourcing, extracting, and transporting raw materials using the most sustainable options.

Demonstrated that SylPro® is a viable protein ingredient for fish feed through large-scale trials showing it can efficiently replace fishmeal or plant-based proteins.
Validated SylPro® as a sustainable protein source with a low environmental impact, as shown by the project's ISO-14040 certified life cycle assessment.
Improved large-scale processes, achieving continuous fermentation, and producing approximately 10 tonnes of SylPro®.
Performed large-scale evaluation of SylPro® nutritional performance in Atlantic Salmon, demonstrating its ability to replace up to 20% of fishmeal or plant protein sources without affecting growth.
Completed additional work on lignin valorisation, assessing its use in fish feed and for energy generation, with promising results for both applications.
Proved a lower water footprint compared to other protein sources, as forestry materials did not require dedicated water usage.

Enabled the launch of the first commercial plant producing SylPro® thanks to the results of scale-up experiments at demonstration platforms. The industrial scale-up is carried out with the support of the SYLPLANT project.
Benefited primary producers by creating an additional source of income from exploiting wood residues for aquaculture.
Enhanced the sustainability of fish farmers and strengthened food chain security by upcycling wood residues into fish feed products.
Optimised water and fertiliser use and minimised land requirements compared to traditional animal feed production methods.
Established a cost-efficient value chain and economically attractive protein production at an industrial scale, facilitating market acceptance and uptake of the developed product: SylPro®.
Established relationships with new potential end-users, continued market studies focusing on Sea Bass and Sea Bream, and refined the business case with new data.