EcoXtract | Delivering a new, efficient and biobased plant oil and protein extraction system

Summary
The vegetable oil and related protein sectors use petroleum-based hexane to extract oil from plant materials. Hexane-based extraction is an old technology that is harmful to health and to the environment. Our ambition is to bring a new biobased solvent called EcoXtract® to the market for processing of oil- and protein-rich crops. This will replace hexane in a million tonne/year market leading to transformation of this global agri-food sector. The project will enable us to construct the world’s first large-scale and first small-scale EcoXtract-based oil extraction plants in Europe. This will be followed by world-wide transformation beyond the consortium enabled by our patented solvent technology: EcoXtract.

We will use an open innovation approach between five complementary European businesses. Vivaorganic is a developer of agri-food plant protein- and oil-based value chains. Pennakem is a global leader in green solvent systems. It developed and now owns the EcoXtract solvent technology. De Wit is a world leader in extracting and marketing high-value oilseed products. NHE is a leader in operating and scaling up extraction systems. An extensive programme of industrial-scale system testing, validation and optimisation followed by product prototying driven by the needs of two value chains lies at the heart of the project. Supported also by co-creative prototyping with clients, we will develop three new mutually supporting business lines within the EcoXtract® framework pioneering global transition of the sector to this new technology.

Oilseeds account for about one-fifth of global crop production. This project will revolutionise processing by introducing a biobased alternative to hexane in both low and high volume markets. The commercial-scale optimization of EcoXtract® will be a big step forward for the biobased sector and advance Horizon 2020’s impact on Societal Challenge 2 opening up new markets for the biobased solvent and its extraction products.
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More information & hyperlinks
Web resources: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/970931
Start date: 01-05-2021
End date: 30-04-2024
Total budget - Public funding: 3 959 062,00 Euro - 2 771 343,00 Euro
Cordis data

Original description

The vegetable oil and related protein sectors use petroleum-based hexane to extract oil from plant materials. Hexane-based extraction is an old technology that is harmful to health and to the environment. Our ambition is to bring a new biobased solvent called EcoXtract® to the market for processing of oil- and protein-rich crops. This will replace hexane in a million tonne/year market leading to transformation of this global agri-food sector. The project will enable us to construct the world’s first large-scale and first small-scale EcoXtract-based oil extraction plants in Europe. This will be followed by world-wide transformation beyond the consortium enabled by our patented solvent technology: EcoXtract.

We will use an open innovation approach between five complementary European businesses. Agroprotein is a developer of agri-food plant protein- and oil-based value chains. Pennakem is a global leader in green solvent systems. It developed and now owns the EcoXtract solvent technology. De Wit is a world leader in extracting and marketing high-value oilseed products. NHE is a leader in operating and scaling up extraction systems. An extensive programme of industrial-scale system testing, validation and optimisation followed by product prototying driven by the needs of two value chains lies at the heart of the project. Supported also by co-creative prototyping with clients, we will develop three new mutually supporting business lines within the EcoXtract® framework pioneering global transition of the sector to this new technology.

Oilseeds account for about one-fifth of global crop production. This project will revolutionise processing by introducing a biobased alternative to hexane in both low and high volume markets. The commercial-scale optimization of EcoXtract® will be a big step forward for the biobased sector and advance Horizon 2020’s impact on Societal Challenge 2 opening up new markets for the biobased solvent and its extraction products.

Status

SIGNED

Call topic

EIC-FTI-2018-2020

Update Date

26-10-2022
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Horizon 2020
H2020-EU.2. INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP
H2020-EU.2.1. INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies
H2020-EU.2.1.0. INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies - Cross-cutting calls
H2020-EIC-FTI-2018-2020
EIC-FTI-2018-2020