The AGRIREFIN project "Agricultural Biorefinery for the valorisation of biowaste from intensive horticulture" was part of the Supra-Autonomous Operational Groups 2016 Phase I programme, within the framework of the National Rural Development Programme, financed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment (MAGRAMA) and by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (FEADER).

The AGRIREFIN Operational Group was set up to develop an Agricultural Biorefinery project for the valorisation of vegetable waste from intensive horticulture and the production of advanced bioethanol, compost and other bioproducts for future promotion.

The objective of the project was to develop a management model and a biorefinery-type plant for the transformation of plant waste from intensive agriculture and the construction of an industrial-scale plant in the intensive horticulture area of the province of Almeria.

The proposed project idea met the objectives of the circular economy applied to the agricultural sector, using synergies to close material cycles, optimising production and consumption systems and adopting new agricultural business models in which the use of crop residues becomes raw materials for other business activities.