The workshop was held in collaboration with the Spanish Technological Platform for Fisheries and Aquaculture (PTEPA), Galician Mussel Producers Organization (OPMEGA), and the local innovation consultancy INXENIA.
It is the fourth event of the European rural bioeconomy network, BioRural, in Spain aimed at co-designing biocircular solutions for the primary and secondary sectors of the economy.
The participants included professionals from OPMEGA, mussel processing plants, and technology centers, universities, and innovative companies contacted by AVEBIOM to present novel proposals already applicable to this sector.
Disruptive solutions already applicable
During the first part of the workshop, several applicable innovation proposals were presented, all aimed at addressing the most relevant problems for OPMEGA members and participating agribusinesses. Some of these proposals included:
- The conversion of mussel cooking broths in concentrates for the agri-food market and in cleaning water, as a result of the WASEABI project presented by the AZTI Technology Center. (Download presentation)
- Obtaining precursors for bioplastics (PHA) from mussel cooking broth, developed by CRETUS and the University of Santiago de Compostela. (Download presentation)
- The use of bioplastics in aquaculture of the mussel, including nets and floating raft structures, proposed by the Technological Institute of Plastics (AIMPLAS). (Download presentation)
- The exploration of vermicompost and innovative products value added (#CELTACAL, #ARENAMAR and #Agropurin) to achieve the circularity of the mussel shells, by ECOCELTA. (Download presentation)
- The use of IoT technologies to monitor water quality in mussel raft areas, and the incorporation of ground mussel shell to improve hardness in plastics and bioplastics, developed by NEWMIND SL. (Download presentation)
- The application of services and Copernicus satellite data and distributed IoT for prevention and measurement in mussel rafts, thanks to REDYTEL IoT. (Download presentation)
- The analysis of the carbon economy of the Galician Mussel and the best environmental use of mussel by-products, by the Institute of Marine Research (IIM-CSIC). (Download presentation)
Co-designing to move from inspiration to practice
After a short break to encourage dialogue among the participants, they immersed themselves in the action, collaborating in the co-design of solutions adapted to the needs and scale of work of the members of OPMEGA and the agribusinesses present.
Four working groups were organized to address the main topics of interest, focusing on water quality, the use of bioplastics, the management of mussel shells and the treatment of wastewater from processing plants.
At the end of the event, the results obtained in the working groups were shared, identifying lines of action that require the adoption or testing of innovations by OPMEGA and its partners. These lines of action represent opportunities for the development of innovative and disruptive projects in the sector.
The European rural bioeconomy network, BioRural, opts for co-design workshops
The choice of co-design strategies for the BioRural workshops is based on the conclusions obtained from an extensive consultation with more than 400 agents from the primary and secondary sectors in 14 European countries, especially in rural environments.
This survey revealed that the innovation process for freelancers and small rural businesses differs from that in other sectors. For them, the priority lies in practicality, easy replicability, process or product improvement, and a rapid return on investment. Furthermore, it was observed that innovation processes tend to be more effective when carried out through trusted consultants rather than through standard R&D projects.
This latest ecodesign workshop was conceived as a way to connect the sector, as potential users of innovations, with organizations that already have innovative solutions, whether in the pilot stage, ready for scaling, or commercially available. These solutions address specific problems and, moreover, transform byproducts into value, thus promoting the concept of a circular bioeconomy.