As Europe transitions toward a more circular and bio-based economy, the LUCRA project is demonstrating how advanced technologies can turn waste into valuable materials. At the center of this transformation is bio-based succinic acid, a chemical building block with a wide range of industrial uses.

LUCRA’s innovation lies not only in what it produces, but how it does it: through a tightly integrated, sustainable process built on three key steps. Let’s take a closer look at each one and understand why it matters.

Step 1: Pre-treatment and Hydrolysis

Goal: Unlock fermentable sugars and nutrients from complex waste.

LUCRA starts with organic food waste and lignocellulosic residues like sawdust: materials that are typically difficult to process. These are broken down using a combination of thermal and enzymatic hydrolysis:

• Thermal hydrolysis softens the structure of the biomass and makes it more accessible.
• Enzymatic hydrolysis uses specific enzymes to cut long carbohydrate chains into simple sugars, which microorganisms can later consume.

Why it matters:
This step ensures that as much useful material as possible is recovered from waste. Importantly, LUCRA avoids aggressive chemicals like sodium hydroxide (NaOH), making the process both greener and cost-efficient.

Step 2: Fermentation

Goal: Convert sugars into bio-based succinic acid.

Once sugars are available, LUCRA uses specialized microbes to convert them into succinic acid through fermentation. These microbes “eat” the sugars and naturally produce succinic acid as part of their metabolism.

This step is carefully controlled:

• pH, temperature, and nutrient levels are optimized for maximum yield.
• Microbial strains are selected or engineered for efficiency and robustness.

Why it matters:
Fermentation is where the actual transformation occurs. From waste-derived sugars to a valuable chemical. But LUCRA doesn’t stop here; it goes a step further through integrated downstream processing.

Step 3: Integrated Downstreaming

Goal: Continuously extract succinic acid during fermentation.

In traditional bioprocesses, fermentation is followed by separate “downstream” steps to purify the product. This process is called downstream processing. This can be energy-intensive and time-consuming.

LUCRA takes a more advanced approach:
Integrated downstream processing means that purification is coupled with fermentation. As succinic acid is produced, it is simultaneously separated from the fermentation medium without stopping the process.

This has several advantages:

• Prevents the buildup of succinic acid, which can inhibit microbial activity.
• Maintains high productivity over longer periods.
• Reduces the energy and chemicals needed for later purification.

Why it matters:
This real-time product recovery boosts the overall efficiency of the system and makes it easier to scale up, which brings us to the final, critical piece of the LUCRA puzzle.

Final Products – Utilization of Succinic Acid

Goal: Development of bio-based polymers

Polymerization is the process of linking small molecules, like biobased succinic acid, into long chains called polymers. It’s the science of turning simple building blocks into materials we use every day:

• Biodegradable plastics
• Resins & foams
• Polyesters & polyurethanes

Current efforts within LUCRA are aimed at optimizing the polymerization process for the production of renewable succinic acid-based polymers.

Why it matters:
Succinic acid is a true building block, from one molecule, many possibilities arise. LUCRA’s bio-succinic acid helps create products that can replace fossil-based counterparts – making the circular bioeconomy a reality.

Scale-Up and Refinement

Goal: Transition from lab to industry.

LUCRA doesn’t just prove that its method works in a lab. A major focus of the project is scale-up, which is the process of expanding a technology from small-scale experiments to pilot and industrial production.

Scaling up involves:

• Adapting equipment and conditions for larger volumes.
• Maintaining process stability and efficiency.
• Evaluating cost, logistics, and sustainability at industrial scale.

This is where LUCRA’s integrated approach truly shines. By designing the process for efficiency and adaptability from the start, it becomes much easier to implement at real-world production sites.

Why it matters:
A sustainable solution is only impactful if it can be applied at scale. LUCRA ensures that the entire process, from waste to purified succinic acid, is not only environmentally sound, but also industrially feasible and economically attractive.

From Innovation to Implementation

Each step in LUCRA’s process has been carefully designed to maximize resource use, minimize waste, and prepare for widespread adoption. Together, they form a highly integrated system that:

• Reduces greenhouse gas emissions
• Utilizes underused waste streams instead of virgin resources
• Supports the circular economy by turning waste into value

LUCRA’s work is more than a proof of concept, it’s a blueprint for the bio-based future of the chemical industry.