Chungnam Agricultural Research and Extension Services to Launch 'Eco-Circular Technology Development' for High Value-Added Use of Agricultural Byproducts
Joint Research with National and Provincial Institutes to Industrialize Byproducts in Textiles and Cosmetics Fields
The Chungnam Provincial Agricultural Research and Extension Services will launch research on 'Eco-Circular Technology Development' to utilize agricultural byproducts, which were previously disposed of as waste, as resources for high value-added industries such as textiles and cosmetics.
On July 13, the Chungnam Agricultural Research and Extension Services announced, "We will carry out a mid- to long-term technology development project for the resource utilization and industrialization of agricultural byproducts over the next five years, until 2029."
This research project will be conducted jointly by the National Institute of Crop Science under the Rural Development Administration and agricultural research and extension services from eight provinces nationwide.
Recently, the potential of agricultural byproducts to be used as eco-friendly and innovative industrial materials has been gaining attention.
In fact, the use of byproducts is being highlighted in a variety of fields, including textiles and fashion, cosmetics, and household goods.
However, industrial utilization remains limited due to several challenges: difficulties in securing standardized raw materials, the lack of a stable supply system, and collection imbalances between regions.
To address these issues, the research team plans to standardize technologies for the collection and preprocessing of agricultural byproducts and establish a stable raw material supply system, thereby laying the foundation for startups and private companies to actively utilize these resources.
An official from the provincial agricultural research and extension services stated, "Agricultural byproducts, which were once classified as waste, are now being re-evaluated as regional resources," adding, "We will establish an upcycling system that covers everything from collection to industrialization through cooperation with relevant organizations and startups."
Meanwhile, the annual amount of agri-food byproducts generated in Korea reaches approximately 5 million tons (as of 2019), with disposal costs estimated to exceed 800 billion won per year.
Lee Soyoun, a researcher at the Agricultural Environment Research Division, commented, "This research marks the beginning of building a resource-circulating agricultural system," and added, "It will greatly contribute to achieving sustainable agriculture and a circular economy."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
