{"id":11776,"date":"2026-10-12T09:33:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T07:33:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bioeconomy-austria.at\/?p=11776"},"modified":"2026-10-29T10:25:57","modified_gmt":"2026-10-29T09:25:57","slug":"mehrwert-aus-nebenprodukten-2-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bioeconomy-austria.at\/en\/2026\/10\/12\/mehrwert-aus-nebenprodukten-2-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Creating Value from By-products #2"},"content":{"rendered":"

On 22 September 2026<\/strong>, the second event in Bioeconomy Austria\u2019s \u201cMehrWert aus Nebenprodukten #2<\/strong>\u201d (Creating Value from By-products) series took place at Salzburg University of Applied Sciences, Kuchl Campus<\/strong>. More than 30 participants attended the full-day workshop to explore the potential for valorising bark, forest wood chips, maize residues and brewers\u2019 spent grain. The workshop was jointly organised by BioBASE<\/a>, the \u00d6kosoziales Forum \u00d6sterreich & Europa<\/a>, Innovation Salzburg<\/a>, Holzcluster Steiermark<\/a> and Standortagentur Tirol<\/a>, in cooperation with the IBW Knowledge and Technology Transfer Centre for Green Engineering<\/a> at Salzburg University of Applied Sciences, Kuchl Campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Insights from Research and Industry<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Following a brief introduction to Bioeconomy Austria and the associated initiative by Werner Balika<\/strong> (Innovation Salzburg), the workshop began with expert presentations. Thomas Schnabel<\/strong> (Salzburg University of Applied Sciences, Kuchl Campus) presented various bioeconomy initiatives at the university, ranging from the Green Engineering Centre<\/a> and the eLABoration Wood<\/a> project to the Salzburg Center for Smart Materials 2.0<\/a>, with a focus on current research into the valorisation of residual materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thomas Lichtmannegger<\/strong> (University of Innsbruck<\/a>) and Klaus Meyer<\/strong> (Standortagentur Tirol) then presented the findings of the study \u201cStatus & Potential of the Bioeconomy in Tyrol\u201d, conducted by the University of Innsbruck as part of Bioeconomy Austria. The results show that around a quarter of the companies surveyed already pass on residual materials to other companies for further use. However, most residues continue to be used for energy recovery or disposed of through waste management systems. High costs and regulatory barriers were identified as the main obstacles to higher-value applications. Nevertheless, many of the companies surveyed intend to increase their use of bio-based materials in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
Presentation Schnabel<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Presentation Meyer<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
presentation Lichtmannegger<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next two presentations bridged the gap between research and practical applications. Erwin Hettegger<\/strong> (Alba Industries GmbH<\/a>) provided insights into the production and processing of polyurethane (PUR) and tannin foams. He explained the foaming process, key factors influencing material properties, and the mixing and dosing technologies used. One potential application presented was the use of tannin foam for thermal or acoustic insulation in sandwich panels. Since tannins are found in bark, among other sources, this offers a potential approach to the material valorisation of this residual biomass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fredrik Parigger<\/strong> (Ehrensberger GmbH<\/a>) then presented innovative approaches to biomass processing at Christian Ehrensberger GmbH. In addition to operating a gravel plant, the company now produces wood fibres for growing media, animal bedding and organic soil products (Terra Alpin<\/a>). By processing forest wood chips and using fungi as a bio-based binder, the company can produce its own wood-fibre insulation material.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Presentation Hettegger<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Presentation Parigger<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interactive Workshop in the Afternoon<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The expert presentations were followed by an interactive workshop in the afternoon. Divided into two groups, participants first explored forest wood chips and maize residues, followed by bark and brewers\u2019 spent grain. Together, they gathered facts, ideas and suggestions relating to the current management and utilisation of these residual materials. Discussions covered existing conditions, current and future challenges, and potential solutions. Participants also identified applications that are already in use or still under development. Participants then prioritised the topics they considered most important, highlighting the challenges and opportunities they regarded as particularly relevant. Finally, they had the opportunity to share their contact details for selected topics to facilitate networking with other interested stakeholders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Workshop Results and Key Findings<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Forest wood chips:<\/strong> Limited availability of forest wood chips in Salzburg was identified as a key issue. Discussions focused on the quality and processing of different fractions, particularly the fine fraction, as well as their potential suitability for extrusion processes and use as animal bedding. Other topics included nutrient content, the analysis of combustion ash and the future proportion of hardwood in mixed forest wood chips. Open questions remain regarding available quantities and qualities, suitable processing technologies and the availability of data on regional material flows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maize residues:<\/strong> Discussions on maize stover focused particularly on the trade-off between further utilisation and the need to retain nutrients and carbon in the soil. Potential applications included biogas production, fibre-based and packaging products, and pyrolysis. Cascading use and combinations with other residual materials were also discussed. Key unresolved issues included economic viability, harvesting logistics, sufficient feedstock volumes for biorefineries, seasonality and storage stability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bark:<\/strong> Further research is needed into the properties, composition and technical usability of bark. A major obstacle identified was the lack of suitable processes for efficiently separating and selectively processing its individual components. Potential applications of compounds such as tannins, lignin and hemicellulose were discussed, along with the use of bark in panel products and other materials, including applications without chemical modification. Questions concerning technical feasibility and material stability remain unresolved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brewers\u2019 spent grain:<\/strong> Discussions focused on shelf life, potential food applications and the recovery of valuable compounds. Suggested applications included snack products, protein extraction and mushroom cultivation. Another approach involved cascading utilisation through protein recovery, biogas production and subsequent use of the digestate. The economic viability of previous valorisation projects and consumer acceptance of brewers\u2019 spent grain as a food ingredient were also discussed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Outlook<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The workshop findings will be compiled in a detailed follow-up report (link to follow). In addition, the results of this workshop and the previous event in Graz, \u201cMehrWert aus Nebenprodukten<\/a>\u201d, will be jointly evaluated and summarised in a policy brief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
Follow-up report (coming soon)<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
MehrWert #1<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u00a9 FH Salzburg<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[:de]Nachbericht zur Veranstaltung[:]<\/p>\n

\u00a9 FH Salzburg<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11785,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11776","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-projekt"],"acf":{"gelbes_kasterl":""},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bioeconomy-austria.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11776","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bioeconomy-austria.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bioeconomy-austria.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bioeconomy-austria.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bioeconomy-austria.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11776"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.bioeconomy-austria.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11776\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11975,"href":"https:\/\/www.bioeconomy-austria.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11776\/revisions\/11975"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bioeconomy-austria.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11785"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bioeconomy-austria.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11776"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bioeconomy-austria.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11776"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bioeconomy-austria.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11776"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}