Date: 9 June 2026, 10-12:00 2026 Online Innovate UK’s Business Connect is inviting interested parties an interactive webinar exploring the Sustainable Chemicals Innovation Ecosystem. This event will see the launch of a new ecosystem directory and participants are invited to help shape the Network’s future direction. The session is relevant …
The UK Government, including Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland branches, is running a public consultation and call for evidence on the impact of proposed modifications to existing legislation in the UK Fertilising Product Regulations (UK FPR). The online consultation covers rules on manufacturing and marketing of fertilisers, but does not …
A new publication from IEA Bioenergy’s Task 36 Material and Energy Valorisation of Waste in a Circular Economy looks at advanced sorting technologies for food wastes. The report provides an overview of technologies currently available on the market, accompanied by a brief case study on food waste in Germany. It …
The Biomass Biorefinery Network (BBNet) has launched its report on The State of UK Biorefining: Progress, Performance and Pathways for Growth. The report assesses the evolution, current status and future prospects of the UK biorefining sector. It draws on a decade of published literature (2014–2024), stakeholder engagement conducted in 2025, …
A new report by the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) and Zero Waste Europe considers the case for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for food products in the European Union. Although the EU mandated separate collection of bio-waste under the revised Waste Framework Directive in 2025, it is estimated that only 26% of around 60 …
Planned outputs for the next few months include feedback from the fascinating Microenvironments workshop led by Dr Joe Weaver, then of Newcastle, now at Durham University. Journal papers in preparation or review include those based on a study of the implications of emerging biotech for bioreactor materials, and from the …
The AF Working Group is working on follow‑on outputs from its Anaerobic Fermentation workshop, with a detailed outcomes report and a WG Position Statement to be published later in 2026. In parallel, the WG has been carrying out small-scale proof‑of‑concept studies investigating chemical‑free product extraction as a means to facilitate …
Last week, EBNet director Prof Sonia Heaven took part in an IEA Task 37 meeting that was timed to coincide with the triennial Central European Biomass conference in Graz, Austria. The plan was to network with participants on behalf of a number of EBNet’s groups, but this fell through when …
IEA Bioenergy has published an Inter-Task report on Synergies of green hydrogen and biobased value chains deployment (see here for accompanying blog). An associated webinar is available here. Dr Luca Alibardi of Cranfield University, co-Lead of EBNet’s Anaerobic Fermentation WG, welcomed the report with the following comment: “The case study targeted a carbohydrate-rich wastewater, …
While the European Union is updating some of its sustainability and supply chain rules to simplify reporting requirements,  its new Bioeconomy Strategy published on 27 Nov 2025 shows both commitment and ambition. The new Strategy revises the 2012 version and its 2018 update. The four main goals identified in the Strategy …
A summary of key findings from a workshop on the Role of Anaerobic Fermentation in the Circular Bioeconomy is now available on the Resources page. The workshop was organised by EBNet’s Anaerobic Fermentation WG and was jointly funded by EBNet and our sister-NIBB the Biomass Biorefinery Network (BBNet). The Summary …
In a valuable and promising initiative, a joint Biorefinery and Biomethane event was held on 22 Oct 2025 at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. The event was organised by IEA Bioenergy’s Task 42 Biorefining in a circular economy and Task 37 Energy from Biogas as part of a two-day joint …
Dr Yue Zhang’s invited talk on The Anaerobic Fermentation Working Group, and the role of Anaerobic Fermentation in the circular bio-economy is now available here on EBNet’s Youtube channel. The talk was given at the 4th BBNet conference The Future Prospects for Biorefining: Feedstocks, Technologies & Products held on 15-17 Oct …
An IEA Inter-Task report on Synergies for bioenergy supply chain in Bioeconomy networks describes efforts to expand the current linear value chain perspective into a broader network-based view of bioenergy and bioeconomy systems. The report introduces a framework to help identify and leverage synergies between bioenergy supply chains, biobased materials …
A recent review paper looks at the application of anaerobic digestion (AD) for treatment of tannery wastes – including waste generated in leather production, and sludges from the treatment of tannery effluents. Leather production has historically been a notoriously polluting process, and despite technology improvements it continues to produce a …
