On February 4, 2025, within the framework of the TeBiCE (Territorial Biorefineries for the Circular Economy) project, a mid-term conference and World Cafe was held in Munich, Bavaria, for partners and businesses interested in this topic. The conference was hosted by the Bavarian partner of the project Chemie Cluster Bayern GmbH.
The conference was divided into three parts: lectures by scientists on biomass flows in Bavaria and the development of new materials in the bioeconomy; a World Cafe where various aspects of the circular economy were discussed at six tables; and presentations by companies dealing with by-products and waste from the primary production and agro-processing sectors.
One segment was devoted to hemp products. The lectures dealt with cooperation between companies from Slovakia and Italy and Germany and Italy and the various possibilities of using this product. A particularly interesting proposal was presented by Ms. Gordana Stevancevic, who produces bedding and luxury clothing from hemp. The audience was able to find out that hemp has excellent antibacterial properties and does not require large inputs during production (unlike, for example, flax, which has similar properties).
Another interesting lecture was presented by Dr. Christian Hubsch, who spoke about the challenges and opportunities of the new biorefinery in Leuna, Germany, built at a cost of 1.2 billion euros. This shows the scale of the cost and labor required to create such an investment. An interesting aspect was the production of biobottles and the question of cost compared to plastic bottles.
Two lectures dealt with the production of lime from eggshells (1.2 billion eggs a day are used in the food industry) and their use in construction, among other applications, and seeds in food and cosmetic production.