Extracoleads a research project in collaboration with the universities of Vigo(UVigo) and Santiago de Compostela(USC), through which they intend to achieve bioasphalt production using a natural antioxidant as binding agent, called lignin.

Under the name of ‘Innobiowaste Project’,this initiative seeks the valuation of agri-food waste in order to obtain bioproducts of high added value, such as the production of enzymes,bacteriocins and biosurfactants from cellullosic fractions (useful to process and obtain wood products). Apart fromExtraco’s R&D department, there are also other participants: UVigo’sAgri-Food Biotechnology Research Group and the Civil Engineering and Marine Energy Research Group (GICEMA) from Lugo’sHigher Polytechnic School(USC).

The research receives public funding, obtained at the competitive callConectaPeme 2016of the Galician Innovation Agency (AxenciaGalegade Innovación, GAIN)by Xunta de Galicia’sConsellería de Economía e Industria (Project code: IN852A 2016/128), charged tothe European Union’sERDF funds.

Along with the research groups mentioned above, this team led by Extraco is also joined by other five Galician companies, making up the Innobiowaste Consortium. The project started in February 2016 and will continue its development until late 2018.