Circular and sustainable production of fat and proteins via fermentation of wood sugar from sawdust

The forest is an important resource that must be used more circularly and sustainably than is done today. 

The project wants to contribute to this through circular production of polyunsaturated fat and proteins via fermentation of wood sugar from forest and industrial residues such as sawdust. In this way, the value of the forest and its residual products is increased through circular and sustainable processes that produce refined added-value products. 

One of the most important side streams from the forest industry is sawdust, but today sawdust is mainly used for pellets as fuel. Using sawdust in a way that increases its value is an important contribution to a better circular economy. 

In Norway, technology has been developed to extract sugars from the hemicellulose in sawdust, which has proven to be a very good raw material for fermentation with unique microorganisms. In this way, protein and polyunsaturated fat can be produced that are suitable for ingredients in feed.