Munster Technological University has received €3 million from Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to lead a research project converting grass into high-value products.
The Grass4Value project will advance green biorefinery technologies across multiple Irish sites. MTU recently launched a pilot biorefinery facility in Kerry, which this funding will build upon.
The initiative brings together MTU, University College Dublin, Teagasc, and University of Galway. It will connect several bioeconomy facilities, including Farm Zero C in Cork and the National Bioeconomy Pilot Plant in Tipperary.
The project aims to create new value chains for grassland farming. Researchers will develop grass-based protein concentrates as alternatives to imported soy. These will be tested in trials with calves, ewes, and pigs. The project will also produce press cake fibre feed for cows.
Additional research will focus on developing functional protein ingredients from grass for human food products. The initiative includes work on anaerobic digestion and precision fermentation to produce feed ingredients, energy, and fertilisers through circular processes.
Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon stated the investment will generate insights and innovations for farmers and food producers. He emphasized the importance of providing access to evidence-based technologies and practices.
Professor James Gaffey, Project Coordinator, explained that Grass4Value builds on a recent €3.1 million infrastructure award to MTU and UCD. That funding supports a grass biorefinery and anaerobic digestion facility at Farm Zero C, developed with Carbery Group. He highlighted the project’s focus on making Irish farming more resilient amid market volatility and environmental pressures.
Professor Kevin O’Connor from UCD said the collaboration integrates two demonstration sites to test solutions at scale. He described the project as using Ireland’s most abundant natural resource to accelerate green biorefining innovation.
The Grass4Value project extends previous national grassland and bioeconomy research initiatives. It includes industry engagement, large-scale validation trials, and training programmes to support sector-wide adoption.
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- Source: https://worldbiomarketinsights.com/mtu-awarded-e3-m-to-develop-grass-biorefinery-tech-in-ireland/
