25 March 2025—The Agriloop project will host an international conference on April 7-8 2025, highlighting promising advances in the transformation of agricultural residues from the food industry. The event marks the midpoint of a four-year collaboration between the European Union and China focused on improving how these valuable byproducts are utilized in the global bioeconomy.
The project’s consortium has spent two years developing innovative processes to convert underexploited agricultural residues—representing roughly 50% of harvested crops—into sustainable alternatives to conventional oil- and crop-based products. Thus, opening new opportunities for bio-based proteins, polyesters, and chemicals derived from tomato, potato, peanut, fungi and livestock production.
Hosted at the Hubei Hotel Beijing, the conference will bring together leading researchers, industry experts, and policymakers to discuss progress and future directions.
“This event represents a milestone moment in our four-year AgriLoop journey,” said Professor Nathalie Gontard, Director of Research at the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE) and Project Coordinator. “By uniting our European and Chinese partners, we’ll showcase our progress and strengthen international collaboration to address global sustainability challenges. The insights gained will be crucial in shaping our direction for the remaining two years.”
Joint Project Coordinator Professor Aimin Shi from the Institute of Food Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, emphasized the importance of the location: “Hosting this event in Beijing highlights the robust partnership between China and the European Union in circular bioeconomy innovation. The conference creates a unique platform for knowledge exchange among our diverse partners and demonstrates practical applications for converting agricultural residues into valuable products.”
A dynamic program driving innovation and collaboration
The two-day program features six comprehensive sessions covering circular economy principles, innovative value chains, native functionality recovery, protein and polyester bioconversion, and biorefinery scaling. An unprecedented networking session will connect business leaders, scientists, and policymakers, and a special workshop designed for young professionals will also be included.
The thirty-five academic and industrial partners from across Europe and China will assess current achievements and map out priorities for the project’s final phase. Their collaborative approach focuses on developing safe and sustainable-by-design bioconversion processes within a cascading biorefinery framework to overcome challenges related to feedstock complexity, process efficiency, end-product performance, and environmental impacts.
Optional pre-conference activities and registration
From April 3-5, attendees can participate in cultural excursions and visits to laboratories and industrial facilities, allowing them to experience Chinese landmarks and witness bioeconomy applications firsthand.
Due to demand, in-person places for non-Chinese nationals are now closed but registrations for online attendance will remain open until the start of the event. Due to the time zone gap between China and Europe, all sessions will be recorded and made available online, allowing participants to access content at their convenience without missing valuable insights.
For registration details and further information, visit: https://www.agriloop-project.eu/beijing_april2025/