FuraKoff – Advanced Valorisation of Oat Husks Through via Integrated Furfural and Carbon Material Production

Challenge

Oat husks are a biogenic byproduct that has so far been underutilized as a raw material, yet holds significant potential for value creation. The challenge lies in producing high-value products from them while simultaneously establishing regional, sustainable value chains.

Objectives and project plan

The project aims to develop an innovative value chain for oat husks, which are generated as a byproduct in oat mills. By further developing the hydrothermal reactive distillation process, the project seeks to enable the coupled production of furfural—a bio-based platform chemical—and high-quality carbon materials (hydrochar).

Hydrochar is being investigated both for use in UD tapes as a substitute for carbon black and as a biogenic carburizing agent in the steel industry. In addition, the hydrochars are refined through pyrolytic modification to further optimize their properties. In parallel, untreated oat husks will be tested as a carburizing agent in an electric arc furnace. A comparison of the pyrolyzed oat husks with the modified hydrocarbons is part of the project to identify the best options for industrial applications.

Impact

These processes enable the long-term integration of biogenic carbon into various products and create a permanent carbon sink. The flexibility of the process also allows it to be adapted to other biogenic waste materials, such as wheat husks or straw, which increases its potential for scaling up and a wide range of applications.