From June 2 to 4, 2025, the city of Turku, Finland, hosted the 21st edition of the International Conference on Renewable Resources & Biorefineries (RRB 2025), a highly relevant event in the study of the bioeconomy and biorefineries. With the theme “Moving Beyond Carbon Neutrality”, the conference brought together around 300 experts from more than 30 countries in a space dedicated to the exchange of knowledge, innovation and collaboration.
Mariam Kholany , our GreenCoLab Biorefinery Group Leader, was honoured with the Best Poster Presentation Award. The winning paper, entitled ‘Sustainable biorefinery process for the valorisation of algae into industrially relevant ingredients’, developed as part of the REALM algae project, stood out for its practical and innovative approach to optimising algae biorefinery processes, with a focus on reducing operating costs and industrial viability.
Other GreenCoLab researchers also presented work of high quality and relevance, reinforcing the commitment to a sustainable transition based on the valorisation of renewable resources:
Alexandre Lima (Algae Vertical Project) “Life Cycle Assessment of Carotenoid Extraction from Microalgae Biomass: A Biorefinery Approach” –
Bernardo Carvalho (LOCALITY Algae Project) “Developing a water-based biorefinery for diatom biomass”
Pedro Cunha (Foundation for Science and Technology – FCT) “Process integration approach for implementing and optimising multi-product biorefineries for Nannochloropsis oceanica”
RRB 2025 emphasised the importance of aligning science, technology and policy to drive renewable and sustainable solutions. For our team, it was a unique opportunity to share, recognise and learn from experts from all over the world.
We remain motivated, certain that the future of the bioeconomy lies in collaborative knowledge – and in a new generation of more efficient, circular and sustainable biorefineries.
