150 participants, 25 countries, 3 enlightening days on small-scale, bio-based technology for valorising African agricultural waste

Everyone with an interest in transforming agricultural waste into new revenue streams had knowledge to gain at BLP 2025 – the joint event of BIO4Africa and BIOStar on 28-30 January in Montpellier, France.

Around 150 participants from 25 countries took that opportunity. Over three days, they joined the presentations and discussions about how the two projects are contributing to a circular future for rural Africa.

Both BIO4Africa and BIOStar set out by uncovering the needs of their respective target stakeholders – African smallholder farmers and food processing SMEs. While BIOStar has focused entirely on bioenergy, BIO4Africa has taken a broader approach to utilising agricultural waste for multiple purposes.

Fuelling bioenergy
The first two days of BLP 2025 were dedicated to the projects’ mutual efforts to pilot new sources of bioenergy, fuelled by agricultural waste such as coconut and cashew nut shells, cocoa pods, mango kernels and rice husks. Clean, renewable energy in the form of biochar, for example, is a vital alternative to wood-based fuel, which poses a major risk to public health and is responsible for widespread deforestation.

Biochar for many needs
Through the BIO4Africa project, pyrolysis facilities for biochar production have been installed at pilot sites in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Senegal. Here, the biochar is being tested in briquettes for household fuel and in soil amendment and water purification. Institut National Polytechnique Félix Houphouët-Boigny in Côte d’Ivoire has installed a water purification device in a local village to test the biochar in context.

In Senegal, the team at Université Assane Seck De Ziguinchor is also running lab trials with biochar as a yield-improving additive in biogas production and with hydrothermal carbonisation, which can produce hydrochar from wet biomass.

Green protein and pellets for feed
The final day of the event provided opportunities for participants to discuss the progress of the other BIO4Africa technologies, including the green biorefinery, pelletising technology and lab-scale trials with biocomposites.

Trials to produce alternative protein source for feed started out at the BIO4Africa pilot site at Kabarole Research and Resource Centre in Uganda. Here, the first of two green biorefineries installed through the project is extracting protein concentrate, press cake and whey juice from pasture grasses for use in improved livestock feed. Research at Munster Technological University in Ireland has found the whey juice has additional potential as an antioxidant in cosmetics.

The second biorefinery was installed at SavaNet Ghana in 2024, where the larger capacity is designed to accommodate the shorter, seasonal availability of green leaf feedstock.

An enabling environment
Regardless of the outcome of the technology trials, their long-term success depends on validated business models, life cycle assessments, local awareness campaigns and recommendations to facilitate their deployment. These important aspects were all included in the closing presentations.

The BIO4Africa team is now planning an Africa-EU policy roundtable in Brussels to be held in May. Policymakers will be invited to discuss the results, policy gaps and priority actions to close the gaps and take the next steps towards a circular bioeconomy in rural Africa.

Presentation overview
Interested but unable to attend? Find all the presentations from BLP 2025 here.