BIOTUTO – Cooperation boosts recycled nutrients and local bioenergy production

The goal of the Biotuto project is to promote new business opportunities related to the processing, procurement, and use of biomass in rural areas. The project examines value chains from the field through bio-terminals to end-users of refined bioenergy, the roles of different actors and earning logic, and factors affecting the profitability of operations. In addition, the Biotuto project develops a model of a self-sufficient, carbon-neutral farm in Finnish conditions and initiates a pilot experiment on the farm.

The case area in the project is the Nivala-Haapajärvi region, where several biogas plants are planned. Nivala and nearby municipalities have an exceptionally large raw material potential for the production of biogas and biofuels. There are about 950 farms in the area that produce both plant and animal biomass, which is suitable for energy production and as a raw material for fertilizers.

The project supports biogas investments of different sizes by investigating the availability of raw materials, related logistics, and contract models. In addition, the area has potential for the utilization and refining of methane and hydrogen as a low-emission fuel for industry and transport, as well as for the fertilization and bedding use of rejects from biogas production.

The project specifically investigates the possibilities for improving the production and distribution of recycling nutrients and bioenergy in bio-terminals through common logistics solutions, utilizing the production facilities of closed farms. The project examines how the handling and contracting services of biomaterials create new job opportunities, for example, for machine contracting companies suffering from the cessation of peat production.

In the project, cultivation experiments are also carried out for the valuation and pricing of recycling nutrients and the determination of the cost structure in order to guide the end-users in the use of new fertilizer products. The results are communicated in real-time during the project through hybrid events, social media channels, and live tracking. The project results are available and applicable in Northern Ostrobothnia and throughout Finland.

The project’s measures are divided according to content and responsibilities into six different work packages:

WP1: Bio-terminals in improving the logistics of bioenergy and recycling nutrients
WP2: Regional distribution and industrial use of biogas
WP3: Accelerating biogas production
WP4: Efficient utilization of biogas production reject
WP5: Model of a self-sufficient, carbon-neutral farm
WP6: Project communication and administration

Oulu University of Applied Sciences is responsible for the implementation of work packages 3 and 5.

The “Boosting recycling nutrients and local bioenergy production (BIOTUTO)” group project is co-funded by the European Union and the funding has been granted by the Council of Oulu Region. The main implementer of the project is the University of Oulu and the co-implementers are the Oulu University of Applied Sciences, Nivala-Haapajärvi region NIHAK ry and the Vocational Education Centre JEDU.