Circular economy

Our society can be greener and more sustainable if we adopt measures aimed at reusing plant material such as crops, aquatic biomass and residual flows produced in the agricultural sector. The experts of Field crops study the economic feasibility of utilising this plant material.

Transition to a biobased economy

The agricultural sector is making significant contributions to the establishment of a green economy. Many companies now utilise solar panels, wind energy or fermentation to generate their own energy. Crops and residual materials, as well as substances derived from them, already form the basis for products such as bioplastics, chemicals and energy. Products like these are created by exploiting crops for multiple purposes. For instance, a portion of the raw materials can be used for a high-grade application such as a bioplastics, after which the residual flow can be used to generate energy. We are always on the lookout for market opportunities and pair them with the possibilities for technical innovations in these areas. And it goes without saying that more efficient processes must also be financially sustainable.

Possibilities for companies

We help companies in their search for what is known as a 'biobased economy': a society where renewable materials can be used for all kinds of processes and applications. Together with these companies, we look into the opportunities to develop and test innovations at our Lelystad location. Sustainability is a paramount factor in these innovations, both in the ecological and financial sense.

Research on renewable energy and green resources

Wageningen University & Research has a test and development location in Lelystad, known as ACRRES (Application Centre for Renewable Resources), that has been set up to research sustainable energy and renewable materials. As part of our research efforts, we link different plant facilities to generate energy and to refine renewable materials. This allows the residual flow from one plant facility to become a raw material for another. We also seek out new sales opportunities for generating additional revenue from the residual material.