**4. Strategic Innovation and Research Agenda (SIRA) in the area of bioeconomy**

As part of the preparatory work for launching European activities in the field of bioeconomy, the Strategic Innovation and Research Agenda (SIRA) plan was developed. This document proposes a coherent set of actions that should lead to an intensification of the implementation of the bioeconomy development concept:

**5**

*Introductory Chapter: Objectives and Scope of Bioeconomy*

• Implementation of projects aiming at the integration and implementation of technologies and results of scientific research and the introduction of technology on a commercial scale through the implementation of demonstration and

• Implementation of development projects aimed at filling gaps in research and

In the Strategic Innovative and Research Agenda (SIRA), these chains have been

1.From the lignocellulosic feed to advanced biofuels, chemicals, and biomaterials, through the selection of raw material base and technology for the new

2.Utilization of the full potential of forest biomass through rationalization of afforestation and rebasing as well as creation of new markets and value-added

3.The use of agro raw materials enabling durability of production through effective agricultural production as well as new markets and value-added products

4.Waste management, through the implementation of sustainable technologies

5.Integrated biorefineries as a means of sustainable production of bioenergy,

The first value chain includes new or improved profitable lignocellulosic biomass sources with higher efficiency in production (fertilizers, water use, logistics) and/or improved processing properties in biorefineries. This will reduce the amount of industrial waste and improve environmental impact, helping to reduce pressure on natural resources, as well as European dependence on imports, and increasing rural development. Financial incentives will be created that favor higher incomes for farmers and forest owners, producing biomass at a competitive price. This chain should end with a demonstration of advanced technologies for the hydrolysis and

The goals of the second value chain will be achieved by creating new valueadded products from the current raw material base by increasing the mobilization of raw materials (forest waste) and improving the use of by-products and waste streams. For this purpose, new innovative and efficient technologies will be implemented, and innovative products will be developed, as well as by-products and residues and valorization of side streams. This will improve the competitiveness of European value chains based on forest industry while reducing pressures on biomass resources. Products from this value chain have a much smaller impact on climate change by exchanging fossil materials for bio-based materials with positive social impact. It will meet both market and consumer requirements and will create new markets by demonstrating the paths and concepts of processing new innova-

• Supporting projects addressing cross-sectoral challenges

Schematically, the value chains are shown in **Figure 2**.

generation of fuels, chemicals, and materials

to transform waste into valuable products

including biofuels, biomaterials, biochemicals, etc.

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.88966*

flagship projects

defined as follows:

products

conversion of lignocellulose.

tive materials into new products.

technological innovation

*Elements of Bioeconomy*

**3. Implementation of the concept of bioeconomic processes**

began. This partnership is to operate in the following areas, through:

while using and valorizing waste and biomass

ness of EU forestry and industry

The implementation of bioeconomic processes requires a change in the approach of both the industrial sector and the policy of governments in individual countries. It is also necessary to deepen the transformation of social awareness toward the need to consume products from these processes. In European Union countries, the implementation of bioeconomic processes through public-private partnership

1.Construction of new value chains based on the development of sustainable biomass collection and supply systems with increased efficiency and better use of biomass resources (including cogeneration and by-product management)

2.Adaptation of existing value chains to a new level, by optimizing the use of raw materials and industrial side streams while offering innovative value-added products, thereby creating market demand and strengthening the competitive-

3.Bringing technologies to the state of advancement through research and innovation, as well as through the modernization and construction of demonstration and flagship biorefinery installations that are already processing biomass in the direction of obtaining innovative products of biological origin [7]

Taking into account the limited resources of biomass and the need for its processing by the agri-food industry, technological processes should be implemented in a way that does not limit the production of food of an appropriate quality and

In pursuing the set goals in accordance with the developed value chains, the partnership shall ensure the availability of sustainable and safe supplies of biomass, both for food and feed applications and for the production of chemicals, materials, fuels, and energy. It is also necessary to increase the productivity and efficiency of biomass from agricultural land and forests, but in a sustainable way, while taking advantage of the potential of residues and by-flows as well as waste. Currently, it is desirable to work on the optimization of the use of the existing raw material (forest and agricultural biomass), the development of new raw material supply chains (e.g., forestry waste, agricultural waste, lignocellulosic or special crops), and the use of side streams of organic industrial and municipal waste. Providing new markets for biomass producers will strengthen rural economies and allow for further development and investments in a sustainable production system. Because the efficient processes of biomass and biodegradable waste conversion have not yet been developed in a way that enables their commercialization, it is necessary to plan solutions to these problems by conducting further research and creating demonstration technologies.

**4. Strategic Innovation and Research Agenda (SIRA) in the area of** 

As part of the preparatory work for launching European activities in the field of bioeconomy, the Strategic Innovation and Research Agenda (SIRA) plan was developed. This document proposes a coherent set of actions that should lead to an intensification of the implementation of the bioeconomy development concept:

**4**

**bioeconomy**

quantity.


Schematically, the value chains are shown in **Figure 2**.

In the Strategic Innovative and Research Agenda (SIRA), these chains have been defined as follows:


The first value chain includes new or improved profitable lignocellulosic biomass sources with higher efficiency in production (fertilizers, water use, logistics) and/or improved processing properties in biorefineries. This will reduce the amount of industrial waste and improve environmental impact, helping to reduce pressure on natural resources, as well as European dependence on imports, and increasing rural development. Financial incentives will be created that favor higher incomes for farmers and forest owners, producing biomass at a competitive price. This chain should end with a demonstration of advanced technologies for the hydrolysis and conversion of lignocellulose.

The goals of the second value chain will be achieved by creating new valueadded products from the current raw material base by increasing the mobilization of raw materials (forest waste) and improving the use of by-products and waste streams. For this purpose, new innovative and efficient technologies will be implemented, and innovative products will be developed, as well as by-products and residues and valorization of side streams. This will improve the competitiveness of European value chains based on forest industry while reducing pressures on biomass resources. Products from this value chain have a much smaller impact on climate change by exchanging fossil materials for bio-based materials with positive social impact. It will meet both market and consumer requirements and will create new markets by demonstrating the paths and concepts of processing new innovative materials into new products.

#### **Figure 2.**

*Value chains in the bioeconomy [8].*

The third value chain will be achieved by creating more value-added products from the current raw material base by increasing raw material production and flexibility and making better use of side streams and residues. In addition, new and improved profitable crops with higher productivity in production (use of fertilizers and water, logistics) will reduce industrial waste and improve environmental impact. Innovative and efficient cultivation, harvesting, and logistic technologies will be introduced for existing and new crops, and innovative products will be developed with the use of by-product and residue valorization.

The development and demonstration of value chains based on currently unused streams (side ones) and wastes from various sources of biological origin (agriculture, forestry, sewage management, sediments, municipal organic waste, garden waste, food processing waste, etc.) are the aim of the fourth chain value. The costs of implementing competitive value-added value chains will contribute to creating solutions for the environmental problem of ever-increasing waste flows (partly due to urbanization) while reducing the pressure on unprocessed natural resources and increasing the competitiveness of the industry.

The implementation of the fifth chain should demonstrate an improvement in the stability and economics of bioenergy production through the conversion and integration of biorefineries. The creation of a whole range of value-added products and bioenergy from raw materials will allow a full use of biomass, including unused biomass resources, and will increase the competitiveness of the bioeconomy.

The concept of creating value chains in the "Bioeconomy for Europe" program is shown in **Figure 3**.

The implementation of these value chains should also contribute to the intensification of the so-called primary production, which may result in the potential development of the bioeconomy as a different industrial branch based on the resources of biomass, mainly waste.

**7**

*Introductory Chapter: Objectives and Scope of Bioeconomy*

*Examples of value chains based on renewable energy resources [5].*

As already mentioned, the proposed value chains capture biomass as the basic source of raw materials in the bioeconomy, also referred to as the "green economy." However, according to the International Energy Agency, the report "IEA Bioenergy,

Indicative Targets can be met for the replacement of conventional fuels with biofuels from biomass, Europe is the second region outside the Japan, which must import biomass as a raw material for the production of these fuels. Irrespective of this, it is not clear what share of waste biomass from natural processes can be used as a raw material for bioeconomic processes, without creating environmental threats for the proper course of these processes. Also in the field of energy carriers, other sources of waste biomass as the main raw material are considered, i.e., waste biomass from industrial processes, including biodegradable waste from agriculture, wood management, food industry, etc. For the same reason, it is proposed intensifying the development of production technologies for other alternative fuels (other than biofuels), which may enable more efficient use of biomass as a shortage resource, mainly for the production of semifinished and high value-added products, replac-

In terms of the concept of economic development of highly industrialized countries, in order to meet the requirements related to sustainable development taking into account environmental requirements, it is proposed to create an economy with the so-called circular economy, which is to complete the life cycle of the product characterized by "life cycle assessment" (LCA) for this product. In short, you can define this cycle as a succession of processes: obtaining raw materials; production; operation; and utilization of post-mining waste, i.e., from cradle to grave (CtG). The closed cycle economy proposes the "cradle to cradle" (CtC) cycle, reusing postmining waste to produce new (new products). This approach will result in reducing raw material consumption, reducing the amount of waste deposited and increasing the waste stream used for recovery and recycling. The course of such a cycle has been illustrated in several contemporary publications, while the economic closed loop can be considered interesting. In this perspective, the bioeconomy can mean much more than the circular economy, because agriculture, forestry, and fisheries or the primary sectors of the economy are the source of production of the raw material, i.e., biomass. In accordance with the anticipated value chains of bioeconomic

Task 42, Biorefineries" [9] shows that to ensure that the so-called National

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.88966*

**Figure 3.**

ing and then displacing petroleum and coal.

**5. Bioeconomy in the circular economy cycle**

*Introductory Chapter: Objectives and Scope of Bioeconomy DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.88966*

**Figure 3.**

*Elements of Bioeconomy*

The third value chain will be achieved by creating more value-added products from the current raw material base by increasing raw material production and flexibility and making better use of side streams and residues. In addition, new and improved profitable crops with higher productivity in production (use of fertilizers and water, logistics) will reduce industrial waste and improve environmental impact. Innovative and efficient cultivation, harvesting, and logistic technologies will be introduced for existing and new crops, and innovative products will be

The development and demonstration of value chains based on currently unused streams (side ones) and wastes from various sources of biological origin (agriculture, forestry, sewage management, sediments, municipal organic waste, garden waste, food processing waste, etc.) are the aim of the fourth chain value. The costs of implementing competitive value-added value chains will contribute to creating solutions for the environmental problem of ever-increasing waste flows (partly due to urbanization) while reducing the pressure on unprocessed natural resources and

The implementation of the fifth chain should demonstrate an improvement in the stability and economics of bioenergy production through the conversion and integration of biorefineries. The creation of a whole range of value-added products and bioenergy from raw materials will allow a full use of biomass, including unused biomass resources, and will increase the competitiveness of the

The concept of creating value chains in the "Bioeconomy for Europe" program is

The implementation of these value chains should also contribute to the intensification of the so-called primary production, which may result in the potential development of the bioeconomy as a different industrial branch based on the

developed with the use of by-product and residue valorization.

increasing the competitiveness of the industry.

**6**

bioeconomy.

**Figure 2.**

*Value chains in the bioeconomy [8].*

shown in **Figure 3**.

resources of biomass, mainly waste.

*Examples of value chains based on renewable energy resources [5].*

As already mentioned, the proposed value chains capture biomass as the basic source of raw materials in the bioeconomy, also referred to as the "green economy." However, according to the International Energy Agency, the report "IEA Bioenergy, Task 42, Biorefineries" [9] shows that to ensure that the so-called National Indicative Targets can be met for the replacement of conventional fuels with biofuels from biomass, Europe is the second region outside the Japan, which must import biomass as a raw material for the production of these fuels. Irrespective of this, it is not clear what share of waste biomass from natural processes can be used as a raw material for bioeconomic processes, without creating environmental threats for the proper course of these processes. Also in the field of energy carriers, other sources of waste biomass as the main raw material are considered, i.e., waste biomass from industrial processes, including biodegradable waste from agriculture, wood management, food industry, etc. For the same reason, it is proposed intensifying the development of production technologies for other alternative fuels (other than biofuels), which may enable more efficient use of biomass as a shortage resource, mainly for the production of semifinished and high value-added products, replacing and then displacing petroleum and coal.
