Industrial valorisation, knowledge transfer and science-policy interface is on the agenda when FACCE SURPLUS representatives meet in Paris in mid-November.

Scientists are developing new agricultural methods which enable metals to be extracted from plants grown in areas where traditional agricultural production is difficult. The remaining plant material can be used as biomass for renewable energy.

We are now taking a great step towards a future based on renewable energy. The research alliance BioC4 works on a project that will enable an effective production of isobutanol – a sustainable plant based fuel that can be used in existing engines for vehicles.

3.8 million hectares of soil in the EU are unsuitable for effective agricultural production due to pollution or drought. Fortunately a new research project strives to reconvert poor, dried out and polluted sites into sustainable farm land. The aim is to increase food production in the EU by up to 20 pct.