CirCoVal Project
Project Title: CirCoVal: Circular Bovine and Ovine Co-Products Valorisation
Funding: €2,776,000 from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) under the 2023 Policy and Strategic Studies Research Call.
Timeframe: December 2023 to November 2027
About the CirCoVal Project
CirCoVal Project has been developed for the meat industry, one of Ireland’s key indigenous sectors. The project focuses on valorising (adding value to) the lowest-value co-products from cattle and sheep, such as cartilage, hides, meat and bone meal (MBM), and blood, which are often disposed of through incineration, a process that burns waste at high temperatures to reduce its volume and eliminate pathogens, but also results in significant treatment costs.
The overall project objective is to create at least three tailored biorefinery processes for the valorisation of bovine and ovine co-products, and to upscale enzymatic hydrolysis of meat by-products and their cascade of downstream processing from laboratory scale to at least 1,000 litres. This will enable the production of raw materials for cosmetics and nutritional supplements.
To complete the circular process, factory-generated wastewater from abattoirs will be treated to produce clean water by supporting the growth of algae and duckweed, with potential applications in fertilisers, bioenergy, and bioplastics.
Creating a circular bioeconomy model for meat technology with positive economic, environmental, and social impacts is essential to help the industry address sustainability challenges.
Project Aims & Objectives
Adopt and upscale co-product preparation protocols to volumes of at least 1,000 litres
Adopt and upscale enzymatic fermentation to a reactor capacity of at least 1,000 litres
Implement and scale primary hydrolysis and downstream processing for multi-stage enzymatic digestion
Valorise and purify factory wastewater.
Optimise and upscale waste-to-energy processes.
To test the resulting value-added products for their purpose suitability.
To test for, and remove, potential impurities and pathogens from produced nutraceuticals, fertilisers, and water.
Combine the upscaled processes into a circular system, ready for deployment.
Produce economic, social, and life-cycle assessments of the circular processes for speedy implementation.
To demonstrate to the industry partners a fully assessed circular bioprocesses, ready for implementation in their production and a complete path to new processes development, for them to undertake in the future.
CABR Role in the CirCoVal Project
Circular Agriculture and Biotechnology Group (CircAB) at the Centre for Applied Bioscience Research (CABR) is a lead partner, coordinating this project and contributing expertise in sustainable product testing, bioprocess innovation, and stakeholder engagement. The group delivers laboratory work, pilot-scale trials, and the translation of research into practical, industry-ready solutions.
Dr. Lena Madden is the research lead at CircAB, overseeing the group’s contributions to CirCoVal and ensuring scientific excellence and innovation throughout the project.
Contact Details
Project Leads:
Dr Lena Madden
CircleBio-P Lead Scientist
Moylish Park, Limerick V94 EC5T, Ireland
Email: Lena.Madden@tus.ie
Dr Patrick Murray
Head of Research, Technological University of the Shannon
Moylish Park, Limerick V94 EC5T, Ireland
Email: Patrick.Murray@tus.ie
Partners
This project is led by Technological University of The Shannon (TUS) with participation from the following partners: Teagasc Ashtown, University College Dublin (UCD), University College Cork (UCC), Dawn Meats, Kepak, Ashbourne Meats Processing, Irish Bioeconomy Foundation, Arigna Fuels, Loop Head Together, Liffey Meats, MyGug and BioConnect Innovation Centre.
