Participants of the EU funded project GO-GRASS met at ATB from 15 to 17 November. On the agenda were discussions and planning for the next phase of the project, which will then focus on dissemination, implementation and replication. Highlights of the meeting were field trips to the German demo site Unteres Odertal and to ATB-labs.

In the Lower Oder Valley National Park, one of the four European demo sites in the project, grows the material from which novel bio-based products will be developed: Grass. Grass from late-use areas from the polders has a very poor fodder quality and a high degree of lignification. It is therefore not suitable for many conventional uses. Scientists at ATB are investigating the possibilities of grass utilisation for the production of plant based biochar as part of the GO-GRASS project. 
In the frame of the meeting at the ATB participants took the chance to visit the demo site with its special conditions for plant growth, invited by the Association of Friends of the German-Polish European National Park Unteres Odertal e.V.

The GO-GRASS consortium consists of a multidisciplinary team of 22 partners from eight European countries (Germany, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, The Netherlands, Belgium, Romania and Hungary). The project is built around four promising regional demonstration sites located in The Netherlands, Sweden, Germany and Denmark. At these demonstration sites, partners will collaborate with farmers, research centres and local technological companies to create different grass-based products and unlock the potential of these untapped resources. Three follower partners from Hungary, Romania and Spain, will also take part in the project to determine if the solutions tested on the demonstration sites can be also be applied in their regions.

More infos on the project GO-GRASS

Contact ATB:
Dr. Sonja Germer
Dr. Philipp Grundmann