The Irish Agriculture sector forms a key part of the social fabric and economy of the nation. Accounting for over 60% of land and 5.7% of gross value add, agriculture employs around 170,000 people nationally, mainly in rural areas. While it is an integral part of Irish society, agriculture, and the livestock sector in particular, faces increasing pressure to become more sustainable. The bioeconomy, and green biorefineries in particular offer a unique opportunity to address many key challenges, while improving the resource use efficiency of Ireland most abundant land resource, grass.

Over the last two years, the Department of Agriculture-funded EIP-Agri Biorefinery Glas project has demonstrated a small-scale green biorefinery with farmers in Ireland, producing and trialling a range of different products from grass. On 26th of February, project partners including Munster Technological University (coordinator), University College Dublin, Carbery, GRASSA and Barryroe , will present the main findings of their research, in a free webinar.

This event will explore the potential of new products produced from grass and the broader role that green biorefineries could play in helping Irish agriculture to become more resilient and sustainable.

Agenda

10.30 Welcome – Emily Marsh, MTU

10.30 Welcome and introduction to Session 1 – Green Biorefinery Concepts

Enda Buckley, Carbery

10.35 Introduction to Biorefinery Glas – what is Small-scale Green Biorefining and what is opportunity for Ireland?

James Gaffey, MTU

10:45 How green biorefinery can help EU and Ireland become more sustainable?

Johan Sanders, GRASSA, WUR

10:55 Introduction to Session 2 – Biorefinery Glas product analysis results

Bridget Lynch, Teagasc

11.00 Comparing green biorefinery presscake as a replacement feed for silage in cows

Eleonora Serra, UCD

11.10 Comparing green biorefinery protein concentrate co-product as an indigenous feed source for pigs

David Walsh, Barryroe Co-operative

11.15 Assessing the prebiotic potential of fruco-oligosaccharide green biorefinery co-product

Abhay Menon, MTU

11.20 Assessing the bioenergy and biofertilizer potential of green biorefinery whey

Aoife Feeney, Carbery

11:25 Introduction to Session 3 - Business model, finance, policy recommendations and knowledge exchange

Helena McMahon, MTU

11.30 Green Biorefinery – what does the business case say?

Xavier Dubussion, XD Consulting

11.45 What are the next steps: finance and ecosystems to support green biorefineries?

Breda O’Dwyer, MTU

11.50 Knowledge sharing and Dissemination of Biorefinery Glas

Enda Buckley, Carbery

11.55 Round-up of main project findings and next steps

James Gaffey, MTU