Saline plants use for chemicals and energy production
The SALICHEM projectstarted in the beginning of January and will last 2 years.
Halophytes are plants that grow in waters and soils of high salinity. In order to adapt themselves to this hostile environment, these plants had to synthetize specific secondary metabolites and had developed the ability to absorb salts.
Due to the global climate change, irrigation and deforesting,
salinization of soils is becoming a more and more serious threat for agriculture. To prevent the loss of these lands, halophytes can be grown to
decontaminate the soils by absorbing the salts. The biomass produced can be valorized in different sectors.
Here comes the
SALICHEM project issue. The
SALICHEM project aims for providing wide knowledge of
halophytes biomass valorization routes and sharing the information with SME of the concerned fields. The project is divided in two parts. The first one relates to the original secondary metabolites synthesized by the plants. It includes the extraction and the evaluation of
various biological activity such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial for the
benefit of cosmetic, food technology and phytotherapy industries. The second part concerns the biorefinery and biogas application used in the
valuable energy sector.
So, through the expertise and collaboration of two European research centers, the valorization of halophytes represents a unique
global approach allowing the development of a new industrial field with
emphasis on greenprocess, environment-friendly.
This project is a true opportunity for the food ingredients and cosmetics sectors to differentiate themselves and to develop new products with high added value.
Project partners:
