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Aims The changes in chemical composition and metabolizable energy (ME) of both olive mill waste (OMW) upon fermentation by three potential probiotic Rhizopus oryzae strains and commercial feed (CF) upon its supplementation by fermented olive mill waste (FOMW) were investigated. The objective was to test whether there will be an enhancement in the nutritional value of OMW after fermentation and/or commercial broiler feed upon supplementation by potentially probiotic filamentous fungi. Methods and results A three Rhizopus oryzae strains (92/1, 236/2 and 284) isolated from agricultural soil that were proven to have good probiotic properties (non-toxic, antimicrobial activity, antioxidant capacity and gastrointestinal tolerance) were used to ferment OMW, then the chemical composition was analysed after 7 and 14 days of fermentation. The FOMW with the R. oryzae 284 strain, which gave the best results, was added to a commercial broiler feed at 20%, 30% and 40% supplementation ratios. Then proximal analyses were done to compare non-supplemented with supplemented CF. Chemical analyses included dry weight, crude protein, crude fats, crude fibres, crude ash, sugars and starch, and then ME was calculated from the given values. Conclusions Compared to non-fermented OMW, the best results were obtained by the R. oryzae 284 strain allowing an increase in crude protein content by 23.4% after 7 days of fermentation, a decrease in crude fibre content by 9.8% after 14 days of fermentation and an increase in ME by 3.6% after 7 days of fermentation. Compared to non-supplemented CF, the ME changes of 20%, 30% and 40% supplementation increased by 8.38%, 2.83% and decreased by 4.27%, respectively. Significance and Impact of the Study FOMW can be incorporated into broiler feed rations until 30% without causing any decrease in metabolizable energy. It can be a cheaper alternative with promising productivity and chicken health improvements., Ege Universitesi [FDK-2019-21010]; Ege University, Ege Universitesi, Grant/Award Number: BAP Project (FDK-2019-21010); Ege University

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of different pressing temperatures on the physical and mechanical properties of Medium Density Particleboard (MDP) manufactured with sugarcane bagasse and waste plastic bags.The temperatures of 160, 180, 200 and 220ºC were evaluated for the panels pressing. The panels were produced with a nominal density of 0.70 g/cm3, a face/core ratio of 40:60, 12% urea-formaldehyde adhesive for the faces and 8% for the core. The panels were evaluated for properties of density, compaction ratio, humidity, water absorption after two and twenty-four hours (WA2h and WA24h), thickness swelling after 2 and 24 hours of immersion in water (TS2h and TS24h), module of rupture (MOR) and module of elasticity (MOE) in static bending, internal bonding, janka hardness and screw pulling. There was no significant effect of pressing temperature on density, MOR, MOE, internal bonding and janka hardness of the panels.The pressing temperature significantly influenced the properties of WA, TS and screw pullout, promoting a decrease in the mean values of WA2h, WA24h, TS2h and TS, and an increase in screw pullout resistance. The temperature of 220°C resulted in MDP panels with sugarcane bagasse and residual plastic bags of better quality.

Caffeine and diclofenac are molecules with high human intake, and both belong to the &lsquo, emergent&rsquo, class of contaminants. These compounds have been found at different concentrations in many sources of water worldwide and have several negative impacts on aquatic life systems, that is why the search for new alternatives for their removal from aqueous media is of transcendental importance. In this sense, adsorption processes are an option to attack this problem and for this reason, biochar could be a good alternative. In this regard, were prepared six different biochar from fique bagasse (FB), a useless agroindustry by-product from fique processing. The six biochar preparations were characterized through several physicochemical procedures, while for the adsorption processes, pH, adsorption time and concentration of caffeine and diclofenac were evaluated. Results showed that the biochar obtained by pyrolysis at 850 &deg, C and residence time of 3 h, labeled as FB850-3, was the material with the highest adsorbent capacity with values of 40.2 mg g&minus, 1 and 5.40 mg g&minus, 1 for caffeine and diclofenac, respectively. It was also shown that the experimental data from FB850-3 fitted very well the Redlich&ndash, Peterson isotherm model and followed a pseudo-first and pseudo-second-order kinetic for caffeine and diclofenac, respectively.

The widespread availability and chemical constitution of agroindustrial residues have stood them out as a promising source of natural chemicals and polymers, such as cellulose. However, to date, green alternative routes developed to convert the agroindustrial residues into value-added products lack environmental performance regarding the impact's quantification. In this work, promising green pretreatment (hydrothermal treatment followed by dilute sodium hydroxide reaction) and acetylation (solvent-free method catalyzed with iodine) techniques were applied to obtaining cellulose acetate (CA) from corncob. Physicochemical characterization revealed successful cellulose extraction and acetylation. CA synthesized by green and standard (acetic acid method) acetylation methods presented degree of substitutions of 2.68 and 2.89, and yield of 60 and 40%, respectively. The storage modulus of CA film produced via this green approach (green pretreatment and acetylation) was found to be 1.89 GPa, and its operating temperature was limited to 140 degrees C. The environmental performance of the green approach was modeled via life cycle assessment (LCA) and compared with a conventional approach (alkali-bleach pretreatment followed by standard acetylation). The LCA shows that the green approach is more advantageous than the conventional approach. The avoidance of chemicals (e.g. acetic acid, sulfuric acid, acetate buffer and aqueous chlorite) and the less use of energy throughout the pretreatment and acetylation steps of the green approach were critical to achieving environmental benefits. For instance, a reduction of 19 and 16% was attained for ionizing radiation and particulate matter emissions, respectively. Results also indicate that, for both approaches, the acetylation step was the main contributor to environmental impacts, as it accounts roughly 82 and 86% of the Global Warming Potential and Human toxicity impacts, respectively, of the green approach. The primary consumption of dichloromethane (DCM) in the purification step, This work was supported by the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (Grant number 201940/2015-9). The authors also acknowledge the Portuguese Foundation of Science and Technology (TSSiPRO-technologies for sustainable and smart innovative products-norte-01-0145-FEDER-000015) and UID/CTM/50025/2019 for the financial support.

β-Galactosidases are widely used for industrial applications. These enzymes could be used in reactions of lactose hydrolysis and transgalactosylation. The objective of this study was the production, purification, and characterization of an extracellular β-galactosidase from a filamentous fungus, Aspergillus niger. The enzyme production was optimized by a factorial design. Maximal β-galactosidase activity (24.64 U/mL) was found in the system containing 2% of a soybean residue (w/v) at initial pH 7.0, 28 °C, 120 rpm in 7 days. ANOVA of the optimization study indicated that the response data on temperature and pH were significant (p

In modern agriculture, seeking eco-friendly ways to promote plant growth and enhance crop productivity is of priority. Biostimulants are a group of substances from natural origin that contribute to boosting plant yield and nutrient uptake, while reducing the dependency on chemical fertilizers. Developing biostimulants from by-products paves the path to waste recycling and reduction, generating benefits for growers, food industry, registration and distribution companies, as well as consumers. The criteria to select designated by-products for valorizing as biostimulant are: absence of pesticide residue, low cost of collection and storage, sufficient supply and synergy with other valorization paths. Over the years, projects on national and international levels such as NOSHAN, SUNNIVA, and Bio2Bio have been initiated (i) to explore valorization of by-products for food and agriculture industries; (ii) to investigate mode of action of biostimulants from organic waste streams. Several classes of waste-derived biostimulants or raw organic material with biostimulant components were shown to be effective in agriculture and horticulture, including vermicompost, composted urban waste, sewage sludge, protein hydrolysate, and chitin/chitosan derivatives. As the global market for biostimulants continues to rise, it is expected that more research and development will expand the list of biostimulants from by-products. Global nutrient imbalance also requires biostimulant to be developed for targeted market. Here, we review examples of biostimulants derived from agricultural by-products and discuss why agricultural biomass is a particularly valuable source for the development of new agrochemical products.

Os biossurfactantes são compostos ativos redutores da tensão superficial, metabólitos produzidos por microrganismos, além de serem compostos estáveis às diferentes condições ambientais. As principais características desses compostos estão relacionadas à biodegradabilidade à ausência de toxicidade. Nos últimos anos, uma gama de trabalhos têm sido desenvolvidos visando à inclusão de resíduos agroindustriais nos meios de cultivo para a produção de biossurfactantes. O objetivo deste trabalho foi testar os resíduos de abacaxi e caju, na formulação de meio de cultivo para a levedura Cryptococcus victoriae, reduzindo o custo de produção do biossurfactante. Deste modo, avaliaram-se os teores de açúcares redutores dos extratos de abacaxi e caju pela metodologia de Miller, 1959. Foram selecionadas as melhores fontes de carbono e nitrogênio por planejamento fatorial e as suas concentrações ideais para o meio de cultivo foi determinada utilizando metodologia de superfície de resposta e o software R. Os resultados de açucares redutores mostraram que o extrato de caju, possui teores aproximadamente quatro vezes superiores ao extrato de abacaxi, com valores médios iguais a 77,24 g L-1 e 18,87 g L-1, respectivamente. Além dos extratos, utilizaram-se diferentes fontes de carbono e nitrogênio para avaliar a produção de biossurfactante. Após seleção de extrato de caju, extrato de levedura, citrato de amônio e acetato de sódio, como as melhores fontes, fez-se o planejamento experimental. Este planejamento forneceu os três fatores significativos para a redução da tensão superficial nos meios extrato de caju, extrato de levedura e citrato de amônio, sendo que, ao se formular meios utilizando esses substratos, valores de tensão superficial variando entre 40 e 55 mN m-1 foram observados. Realizou-se a análise da metodologia de superfície de resposta, e avaliação das equações individuais para obtenção da equação geral e, dessa forma, das concentrações ideais para a redução da tensão superficial. Sendo assim, confirmou-se a capacidade produtiva da Cryptococcus victoriae isolada do ambiente antártico, utilizando resíduo agroindustrial. Em geral, o meio composto por 19,24 g L-1 de extrato de caju, 6,70 g L-1 de extrato de levedura e 3,30 g L-1 de citrato de amônio, apresenta os melhores resultados, reduzindo a tensão superficial (54,87 mN m-1), podendo ser de grande interesse industrial e ambiental. Biosurfactants are actives compounds reducers of the surface tension, metabolites extracted from microorganisms, as well as are stable compounds at different environment conditions. The main characteristics of these compounds are related to biodegradability and to absence of toxicity. In the last few years, a range of studies have been developed in order to include agroindustrial residues in the culture medium for the biosurfactants production. The objective of this study was to evaluate pineapple and cashew residues in a culture medium formulation for the yeast Cryptococcus victoriae, reducing, consequently, the value of the biosurfactant production. In this way, the sugar content of pineapple and cashew extracts was evaluated by the methodology of Miller, 1959. The best carbon and nitrogen sources were selected by factorial design and their ideal concentrations for the culture medium were determined using methodology of response surface and software R. Results showed that the cashew extract had approximately four times more reducing sugars than the pineapple extract, with values of 77.24 g L-1 and 18.87 g L-1, respectively. In addition to the extracts, differents carbon and nitrogen sources were used to evaluate the biosurfactant production. After the selection of the best sources (cashew extract, yeast extract, ammonium citrate and sodium acetate), the experimental planning was performed. This planning provided three significant factors for surface tension reducers in the cashew extract, yeast extract and ammonium citrate culture medium. When the culture medium using these substrates were formulated, surface tension values ranged from 40 to 55 mN m-1. The analysis of the response surface methodology was performed, and evaluation of the individual equations to obtain the general equation and, therefore, the ideals concentrations for reduce the surface tension. Thus, the productive capacity of Cryptococcus victoriae isolated of the Antarctic environment, using agroindustrial residue, was confirmed. In general, better results were observed when the culture medium composed by 19.24 g L-1 of cashew extract, 6.70 g L-1 of yeast extract and 3.30 g L-1 of ammonium citrate was used, reducing the surface tension (54.87 mN m-1) and being a potential medium for industrial and environmental application. Dissertação (Mestrado)

The objective of this work was to evaluate the removal of Cu2+ and Zn2+ in water by means of the adsorption process using three biosorbents derived from jatropha biomass (bark, endosperm and endosperm + seed coat). The experiments were performed in batch and evaluated the effect of solution pH, adsorbent mass, contact time, different initial concentrations of the metals Cu2+ and Zn2+, and the temperature of the solution during the adsorptive process. By kinetics, the adsorption isotherms and thermodynamics the mechanisms that control the adsorptive process were evaluated. The optimal conditions for the realization of the adsorptive process for both metals were: solution pH of 5.0 and 8 g L-1 of adsorbent mass per volume of solution, with a contact time between adsorbent and adsorbate of 60 min. According to the Langmuir model, the maximum adsorption capacities for the bark, endosperm and endosperm + seed coat of Jatropha were, respectively, for Cu2+ 11.541, 20.475 and 22.910 mg g-1, and for Zn2+ 14.852; 15.888 and 14.674 mg g-1, with the predominance of chemisorption in monolayer. The three biosorbents derived from the biomass of Jatropha have potential for the remediation of water contaminated with Cu2+ and Zn2+.

The methanogenic and acidogenic potentials of six different agroindustrial residues, i.e. of fruit pulps and brewery residues, were determined. For all substrates, the methanogenic conversion yield was systematically higher than the acidogenic one in Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) terms, ranging from 0.46 to 0.87 gCOD_CH4/gCOD_substrate_fed and from 0.24 to 0.56 gCOD_tVFA/gCOD_substrate_fed, respectively. During methanogenic conversion, brewery trub exhibited the highest methane potential (304 mlCH4/gCOD_substrate). Trub also exhibited the highest total volatile fatty acids (tVFA) concentrations in the mixed liquor (ML) during acidogenic conversion (29.7 gCOD_tVFA/kgML). Acetic, butyric and caproic acids were the main carboxylates produced by the different substrates. Despite the lower conversion yields, the economic value of the acidogenic product (carboxylate streams) is higher than that of methanogenic conversion (methane) due to the higher value of carboxylates and their potential use in finer applications (e.g. bio-based products) compared to energy production form methane.

The search of new materials acting as sustainable energy vectors to substitute traditional fossil fuels is object of intensive research nowadays. Agricultural residues offer a widespread availability and suitable potential energy contents. Feasibility studies on the performance of these fuels and the evaluation of their suitability for gasification purposes were performed in this work. The gasification of different agricultural residues (rice straw, residues from kaki fruit) was simulated following a pseudo-equilibrium approach with the aid of a simulation software. Different models were developed to take into account the main experimental parameters found in a gasifier pilot unit: carbon conversion and influence of the temperature on the equilibrium constants of the reactions. The effect of the Temperature of reaction (T) and Equivalence Ratio (ER) on the distribution of products in the produced gas and on the performance of the process by the assessment of the High Heating Value (HHV), the Cold Gas Efficiency (CGE) and the Carbon Conversion Efficiency (CCE) was evaluated. Finally, based on the developed models, the operating conditions of the experimental pilot unit were optimised., Proceedings of the 24th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 6-9 June 2016, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, pp. 934-940

Orientadores: Maria Angela de Almeida Meireles Petenate, Tânia Forster-Carneiro Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia de Alimentos Resumo: As sementes de urucum (Bixa orellana L.) são amplamente exploradas a nível industrial para obtenção do pigmento que possui aplicações em produtos alimentícios, cosméticos, têxteis, etc. Atualmente em escala industrial são utilizadas técnicas rudimentares e ineficientes para o aproveitamento sustentável das sementes de urucum. A extração com fluido supercrítico (SFE) usando CO2 como solvente foi usada para separar a fração lipídica rica em tocotrienóis das sementes de urucum, processo do qual foi obtida a matéria-prima desta pesquisa. Nesta tese foi estudada a influência de processos que envolvem tecnologias limpas na composição desta matéria-prima residuária, que apresenta potencial para usos futuros. Inicialmente foi realizada a hidrólise ácida sobre as sementes de urucum in natura e sobre os resíduos dos processos de extração (SFE e Soxhlet) das sementes, junto com outras matérias primas (ginseng brasileiro e fibra de palma prensada) com o objetivo de se estudar a influência desses processos na estrutura dessas matérias primas para a produção de açúcares. A comparação morfológica dos materiais vegetais foi observada mediante a técnica de microscopia eletrônica; por meio da hidrólise foi verificada a influência da concentração de ácido na concentração resultante de açúcares obtidos em função do tempo de reação. As técnicas de extração servem como um pré-tratamento para a modificação da estrutura vegetal por favorecer a exposição de substratos para processos de conversão da biomassa lignocelulósica. A aplicação da tecnologia de extração com líquidos pressurizados foi estudada paralelamente para a obtenção de antocianinas usando como matéria-prima a polpa congelada de açaí. Extratos com maior concentração de antocianinas foram atribuídos à mistura de etanol e água, e a presença de ácido cítrico. Foi verificado que a temperatura e a pressão estudadas não exerceram influência relevante na concentração de antocianinas. Os resultados obtidos sugerem trabalhos futuros que aumentem a proporção de água no solvente. As sementes foram moídas e separadas em função do diâmetro de partícula (dp) para estudos destinados a quantificação de bixina e dos polímeros presentes. Da fração das partículas de menor tamanho (dp ? 300 µm) foi verificada uma concentração relevante de bixina, fazendo com que estas partículas fossem direcionadas para a obtenção de extratos com maior pureza deste pigmento a partir da extração com etanol a baixa pressão. Dos resultados obtidos com as partículas maiores (dp ? 300 µm) foi verificado que essas partículas mantêm um conteúdo não relevante de bixina, mas sim uma concentração importante de amido, proteína e material lignocelulósico; fazendo com que estas partículas fossem destinadas a tratamento hidrotérmico modificando a estrutura da matéria-prima visando aplicações na indústria. A aplicação das tecnologias limpas utilizadas neste trabalho conduz ao total aproveitamento das sementes de urucum residuária da extração com CO2 supercrítico, por contribuir com a obtenção de novos produtos que podem ser incorporados para aplicações futuras Abstract: Annatto seeds (Bixa orellana L.) are widely used industrially for obtaining a pigment with application in food, cosmetics and textiles, among others. Currently in an industrial scale are used rudimentary and inefficient techniques that do not allow the sustainable use of annatto seeds. Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) was used to obtain the raw material in this study. The lipid fraction rich in tocotrienols from annatto seeds was extracted using SFE and CO2 as a solvent. This thesis studied the influence in the composition of this residual material of processes that involves the use of clean technologies in order to create a potential use for this material. Initially the acid hydrolysis of annatto seeds and its residue from extraction processes (SFE and Soxhlet) was performed, together with other raw materials (Brazilian ginseng and palm pressed fiber) for the purpose of studying the influence of extraction processes in the structure of these raw materials for the production of sugars. Morphological comparison of plant materials was observed by electron microscopy technique; by acid hydrolysis was evaluated the influence of acid concentration in the production of sugars obtained as a function of reaction time. The extraction technique serves as a pretreatment to modify the plant structure, enabling the exposure of substrate for lignocellulosic conversion. The application of pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) technology was studied in parallel for obtaining anthocyanins extracts from frozen pulp of acai. Extracts with higher concentration of anthocyanins were produced using a mixture of ethanol and water, without use of citric acid. Temperature and pressure did not exert a significant influence in the concentration of anthocyanins. The results suggest further studies increasing the proportion of water in the solvent. The seeds were milled and separated according to the diameter of particle (dp) for studies to quantify of bixin and polymers present. On the fraction of small particles size (dp ? 300 µm) was observed a significant concentration of bixin. These particles were directed to obtain extracts with higher purity from this pigment using the low pressure solvent extraction (LPSE) with ethanol. On the results obtained with larger particles (dp ? 300 µm), it was observed that these particles have not a bixin relevant content, but a significant concentration of starch, protein and lignocellulosic material; destining these particles to an hydrothermal treatment designed to modify the vegetal structure of raw material aiming applications in industry. The application of clean technologies used in this work leads to the total use of semi-defatted annatto seeds, residue from supercritical extraction with CO2, for contributing to obtain new products that can be incorporated for future applications Doutorado Engenharia de Alimentos Doutora em Engenharia de Alimentos CAPES 5532116

This study compares two xylanases produced by filamentous fungi such as A. niger and A. flavus using agroindustrial residues as substract and evaluated the effect of these enzymes on cellulose pulp biobleaching process. Wheat bran was the best carbon source for xylanase production by A. niger and A. flavus. The production of xylanase was 18 and 21% higher on wheat bran when we compare the xylanase production with xylan. At 50°C, the xylanase of A. niger retained over 85% activity with 2 h of incubation, and A. flavus had a half-life of more than 75 minutes. At 55°C, the xylanase produced by A. niger showed more stable than from A. flavus showing a half-life of more than 45 minutes. The xylanase activity of A. niger and A. flavus were somehow protected in the presence of glycerol 5% when compared to the control (without additives). On the biobleaching assay it was observed that the xylanase from A. flavus was more effective in comparison to A. niger. The kappa efficiency corresponded to 36.32 and 25.93, respectively. That is important to emphasize that the cellulase activity was either analyzed and significant levels were not detected, which explain why the viscosity was not significantly modified.

Agricultural residues offer a widespread availability and a suitable potential energy content. For this reason, the residues from the prune of apple trees, which are agricultural residues, were evaluated for their use as feedstock in thermochemical processes in order to obtain energy.The main objective of this study was to investigate the characteristics of the residues from the prune of apple trees when converted to syngas by gasification in a 20kW Spouted Bed pilot reactor. The obtained gases were studied in a quantitative and qualitative way through the evaluation of the key operating parameters for the gasifier: gasification temperature, the biomass feeding rate, air equivalent ratio and the steam-to-biomass ratio. Based on the results, an optimal range for the key operating parameters for the Spouted Bed reactor is recommended., Proceedings of the 24th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 6-9 June 2016, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, pp. 858-862

The aim of this work is to assess the integration of citrus residues gasification in a Sicilian medium size enterprise, which processes about 85,000 t/year of fresh fruit. In this work, gasification tests were performed in a bench-scale fluidized bed reactor working with both air and air-steam mixtures as gasification mediums. The gasification experiments were carried out at 700, 750, and 850 °C and at different steam to biomass ratios (0 – 1.25). Thus, evaluations on syngas composition and gasification efficiencies were carried out. According to the experimental results, the highest net cold gas efficiency (0.71) was achieved at 850°C and S/B =0.5. A combined heat and power (CHP) unit, using a reciprocating engine, was selected in order to simulate the combination of the gasification unit with an internal combustion engine (ICE).The results showed that the proposed system allows to produce about 8,256 MWhe/year and 10,224MWht/year as electrical and thermal output, respectively, by using two CHP units of 516 kWe, and consuming about 7,112 t/year of dry citrus peel (10%wt moisture). The thermal power output produced by CHP system may be used for drying the fresh citrus peels up to the desired water content, being this step the most energy demanding step., Proceedings of the 25th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 12-15 June 2017, Stockholm, Sweden, pp. 106-110

Nowadays, there are not so many experiences with biogas conversion to energy in Brazil. However, there are several initiatives from state governments aiming to incentivize the injection of biomethane into the natural gas grid. Recently, the Federal Regulatory Agency for Oil and Biofuels (ANP) has defined parameters for quality control of biomethane from landfills and sewage stations to be used in the transport sector, as well as for residential, industrial and commercial uses all over the country. On the other hand, a new Danish legislation from 2012 has formed a new growth momentum to upgrade and integrate biomethane in the natural gas grid for industrial and transportation utilisation. This experience and gained knowledge could be applied to the Brazilian scenario. We also analyse the feasibility of using co-digestion and integrate large-scale biogas plants to sugarcane mills, addressing the environmental issues that appear. This study shows that there is a need for further case studies and demonstration plants to overcome technological, political, economic and cultural challenges., Proceedings of the 26th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 14-17 May 2018, Copenhagen, Denmark, pp. 1493-1494

Different types of agrobiomass (agricultural residues, agroindustrial byproducts, fast growing energy crops and short rotation coppice) is an abundant, indigenous energy resource that can be effectively used for meeting the European decarbonisation targets. There are many potential models and technical pathways for utilizing agrobiomass in this sense; one of the most promising is its use as a heating fuel in European rural areas and in applications such as households and farms, municipal and commercial buildings, and agro-industries and greenhouses. Despite the existence of some agrobiomass heating markets in Europe, mostly based on agroindustrial biomass byproducts or straw, the full market potential of agrobiomass heating is not realized due several limiting factors. The present paper introduces AgroBioHeat (www.agrobioheat.eu), a project funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, that aims to develop into a comprehensive platform for the market uptake of agrobiomass heating solutions through the implementation of a variety of activities design to develop trust in the capacity of this technology to decarbonize the rural heating market, develop vision for its deployment and provide support to a number of initiatives that will be implemented by the project. The paper serves as an introduction to the current framework conditions for agrobiomass heating and to the overall strategy and approach followed by the AgroBioHeat project.