Grassification
Roadside grass clippings are a problem fraction throughout the 2 Seas Programme area due to their high volume, subject to high processing costs. The industrial sector, however, is interested in the possibility of using roadside grass clippings as an alternative resource (as opposed to fossil sources or dedicated agricultural produce).
The common challenges for applying roadside grass clippings as a renewable feedstock in industrial processes are currently threefold:
- the supply chains are not yet optimal, resulting in higher costs ;
- a highly variable and heterogeneous supply ;
- an unsupportive institutional framework leading to legal and political challenges.
The opportunities to be addressed by the Grassification project can thus be situated at different levels of the roadside grass clippings value chain, hindering altogether the use of grass clippings by the industry as a renewable resource (and thus hampering the pursuit of a biobased and circular economy).
More information in this previous article : Les initiatives scientifiques pour soutenir la valorisation de l’herbe des bords de route – New-C-Land, 08.06.2020
The survey
One of the aspects that is of great importance to come to a viable value chain for grass clippings is the match between the supply and the demand.
- What is the quality of roadside clippings that can be delivered by the organizations responsible for mowing and handling roadside grass?
- And what is the quality of grass clippings that can be used by companies that refine grass clippings and other plant fibers?
To get a better idea of this match, the Grassification project is making an overview of the supply possibilities and demand requirements for roadside grass clippings. For this, we need your help. If you are working at an organization that is collecting grass clippings OR if you are working at an organisation that processes grass clippings or other plant fibers, please fill in our questionnaire using the links below. If you leave your e-mail address, we will share the outcome of the results with you!
The stakeholders are mainly industries working with natural fibers, but also land managers that mow roadside grass/grassland.
The survey questions are in English but feel free to answer them in English, Dutch or French.
If you have any questions, you can contact Jappe de Best (Avans, jh.debest@avans.nl) or Dries Vansteenkiste (HoGent, dries.vansteenkiste@hogent.be)
- If you are working at an organization that is collecting grass clippings, please use THIS LINK
- If you are working at an organisation that processes grass clippings, please use THIS LINK
Deadline : Jan 31, 2021.
