Archive for year: 2026

Supported by the Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), ARTES has completed the GINEXTRA® Pilot Biorefinery in Monticiano (Siena, Tuscany), establishing a permanent research platform dedicated to the valorisation of Mediterranean plant biomass through its proprietary low-impact enzymatic technologies.
The pilot biorefinery converts broom (Spartium junceum), hemp and other underutilised lignocellulosic biomass into fibres, cellulose-rich fractions and other bio-based materials for applications across multiple industrial sectors. The project translates more than twenty years of research into an operational facility where technologies can be developed, validated and
demonstrated under real operating conditions.

The GINEXTRA® pilot biorefinery has been permanently established at the Museo della Biodiversità (Via XXV Aprile 9, Monticiano), thanks to the collaboration with the Municipality of Monticiano. From September, the facility will also be open to the public, providing a dedicated space where the technologies, processes and results developed through the project can be
presented and explored.

Project Outcomes

The completion of the pilot biorefinery marks the successful delivery of the project’s primary objective: establishing the Monticiano site as a permanent technological platform for the development, validation, demonstration and progressive industrial scale-up of modular enzymatic biorefinery processes.
Strategically designed and implemented by ARTES, the facility performs three complementary functions: the production of proprietary enzymatic formulations used in the GINEXTRA®  process; the optimisation of biomass processing methods at laboratory scale, including steam explosion and enzymatic treatments; and pilot-scale enzymatic retting and fibre extraction in
bioreactors, with working volumes of up to 900 litres.
The site now brings together the entire processing chain, from biomass preparation and mechanical pretreatment to controlled fermentation, including enzymatic maceration, fraction separation, filtration, microbiological analysis and quality control. This configuration has generated the technical knowledge required to assess the properties and performance of the recovered bio-based materials, refine processing conditions and evaluate their potential applications.
Together, the facility, the validated procedures and the operational capabilities developed through the project constitute a lasting technological asset. ARTES expects this infrastructure to support future national and European research programmes, industrial partnerships and advanced training, while contributing to the gradual development of modular biorefineries in rural and biomass-producing areas.

Building on the Monticiano Experience

The work carried out in Monticiano has already contributed to the development of new collaborations and research proposals in the field of circular bioeconomy. The platform now provides an experimental basis for ARTES’ wider activities in applied research, technology transfer and territorial innovation.

A concrete outcome is the establishment of a strategic partnership between ARTES and the Consorzio Polo Tecnologico Magona (CPTM), which brings together complementary expertise in industrial biotechnology, chemical engineering, circular bioeconomy and territorial innovation. Through this collaboration, the two organisations have extended the work initiated through
GINEXTRA® and opened new opportunities for multidisciplinary research and international
cooperation.
This broader research framework led to projects such as bioCREs® – Biorefinery Clusters in Rural Ecosystems®, coordinated by INSTM, Italy’s largest consortium in materials science and technology, bringing together 47 universities and more than 2,000 researchers. ARTES contributes as Co-Scientific Leader, supporting the scientific concept, territorial innovation model and development of modular rural biorefineries. The proposal exceeded the quality threshold under the European Interregional Innovation Investments programme but was not funded due to budget limitations. The consortium is now preparing an enhanced submission for a new funding call scheduled for November 2026.
CPTM and ARTES have also developed bioCREs Africa, which examines how the approach tested in Monticiano could be adapted to forest-dependent regions across Africa. Through Euro-African partnerships, the project seeks to support sustainable biomass valorisation, local enterprise development and biorefinery models suited to specific regional contexts. This project is currently being further developed for future European and international funding opportunities.

Another application of GINEXTRA® is then being explored through GINEXPACK, coordinated by ARTES and submitted under the Horizon Europe PRIMARY programme. The proposal focuses on decentralised fibre-based packaging solutions for premium agri-food value chains, using broom, olive-pruning residues and vineyard biomass. It is currently under evaluation.

ARTES is also contributing as Co-Scientific Leader to the preparation of a collaborative proposal under the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking. The initiative is being developed with INSTM and the University of Turin, through the Mycotheca Universitatis Taurinensis, which forms part of the SUS-MIRRI research infrastructure. A growing consortium of European
research organisations and industrial partners is also involved. The proposal focuses on bio-based textile fibres and integrated lignocellulosic biorefineries.
Most recently, bioCREs has been submitted to the Forest Bioeconomy Investment Accelerator, promoted by the European Forest Institute (EFI) and the European Investment Bank (EIB). The proposal explores how modular biorefineries and circular forest bioeconomy models can support regional regeneration and attract long-term investment. If selected among the ten finalist projects, bioCREs will enter the accelerator programme and be presented to international investors at the final event in November 2026.

A Lasting Legacy

The completion of the GINEXTRA® Pilot Biorefinery establishes a permanent research infrastructure in Monticiano and strengthens the region’s role within the emerging European circular bioeconomy.
Beyond the facility itself, the project has generated validated technologies, consolidated technical expertise and strengthened collaboration between research organisations, engineering partners, public institutions and local stakeholders.
Together, these outcomes ensure that the knowledge, infrastructure and partnerships developed through GINEXTRA® remain available to support future research, innovation and territorial development.