News | Project news From residual stream to raw material: FLAXIT project valorizes flax seed

With the FLAXIT project, VITO offers flax growers and processors the opportunity to optimize the value of their flax seed. In Belgium alone, 20 000 tons of flax seed are available annually. Until now, this was considered a residual stream and used mainly for low-value technical applications. Through a biorefinery process, FLAXIT plans to make industrially relevant products from the oil, carbohydrates and proteins present in flax seed. Setting up new value chains is central to this.

By using the various components from the flax seed as raw material, producers of cosmetics / personal care products, technofunctional food ingredients and biobased materials, among others, can offer their customers a bio-based, renewable and vegan alternative. A win-win for flax growers, processors and consumers alike!

_{FLAXIT is a collaboration between VITO, Universiteit Antwerpen, ILVO en Karel de Grote Hogeschool. The project is funded by FWO (Fund for Scientific Research) within the Impulse Program Bioeconomy. One of the target products is 'esters'. VITO has a strong background in enzymatic ester synthesis as demonstrated in several Catalisti projects 'Lipametics', 'Sweetest', INTERREG projects 'Valbran', 'Inticosm' and the Horizon Europe project 'INCITE'. This expertise is now being further developed by using locally produced flax seed oil to produce esters for cosmetic applications, for example.}