The BIOTER-Lab project (Circular Bioeconomy Laboratory in Rural Territories through the Valorisation of Agroforestry Resources) will define and implement a comprehensive, self-sustaining circular bioeconomy model for rural areas. This initiative aligns environmental conservation with rural economic development and seeks to turn a problem such as ecosystem degradation caused by wildfires and the accumulation of economically unproductive scrubland into an opportunity through sustainable extraction and subsequent conversion into high-value-added products.
The Saja Reserve Association of Municipalities (MRS) is leading the consortium for this proposal, which also involves the CTC Technological Centre, the Automotive Technology Centre of Galicia (CTAG) and the Renewable Energy Development Centre (CEDER-CIEMAT). The four project partners took part in the project kick-off meeting held in the municipality of Ruente.
Over the next 30 months, they will work on a model that, among other benefits, will mitigate the risk of wildfires and other natural disasters; promote green employment and population retention; preserve soil quality; and strengthen socio-economic services linked to rural tourism and agricultural activities.
From a circular bioeconomy perspective, BIOTER-LAB will optimise the extraction of underutilised forest resources and leguminous shrub species for their valorisation and conversion into products highly valued by industry, such as biocomposite materials, natural fertilisers and bioactive compounds. To this end, animal traction techniques and portable machinery will be used to process the wood before transport. The possibility of shredding, pelleting and compacting the material at the point of extraction reduces volume requirements by 500% and lowers transport costs.
The project includes pilot actions in different territories, where innovative and sustainable forest management techniques will be applied alongside advanced technologies for biomass valorisation. In Cantabria, the activities will be carried out within the area covered by the Saja Reserve Association of Municipalities, in the Saja-Besaya Natural Park and in the municipalities of Mazcuerras, Ruente, Cabuérniga and Los Tojos. In Castilla y León, the trials will take place in Sanabria (Zamora), while in Galicia they will be conducted in El Barco de Valdeorras (Ourense) and Barbanza (A Coruña).
These areas, which have high natural and ecological value, face major challenges related to shrub accumulation, wildfire risk and the need to generate new sustainable economic opportunities. A comprehensive environmental, social and economic impact assessment will also be carried out to ensure the project’s viability and its potential for replication in other regions.
With a budget of EUR 1,191,940, BIOTER-LAB is supported by the Biodiversity Foundation of the Spanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO), through co-financing from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
Controlled-release natural fertilisers
Within this research, CTC will build on the knowledge gained in a similar project, known as Fortexval, to find a new use for the products obtained through the valorisation process.
While the previous project used scrubland, wood chips and other low-value materials to produce biochar — a charcoal with multiple properties and numerous high-value applications, often regarded as nature’s “black gold” — this time the team will go one step further and use this material as a highly efficient natural fertiliser
With the aim of improving agricultural sustainability and promoting circularity-based models, the Advanced Materials and Nanomaterials team will use biochar nanoparticles as fertiliser carriers. This process enables a slower, more controlled release of nutrients for plants.
More specifically, the team led by Ángel Yedra will work to optimise the controlled release of nitrogen-, phosphorus- and potassium-based fertilisers. This approach uses exclusively sustainable materials which, due to their structural and compositional characteristics, provide additional benefits to the substrate.
Controlled release is a system that enables a slower dosage of the fertilisers contained within the nanoparticles. Thanks to nanotechnology, plants receive a steady supply of nutrients over a longer period, preventing nutrient loss and improving nutrient-use efficiency.
