Biogears Final Prototype Developed And Sea Trials Commence

In June 2021, the EMFF-funded BIOGEARS project reached a key milestone; the final prototype biobased ropes ‘biogears’ were finalised. The biogears ropes seek to provide an alternative to the petrol-based (non-recyclable) commercial ropes ubiquitous on the market. The biogears were manufactured at project partner ITSASKORDA’s facility in the Basque Country, Spain. Three prototypes were developed, all comprising of biobased material.

The next phase of the project is to trial the biogears in mussel and seaweed Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) in offshore and sheltered marine areas. These trials began in July 2021 at AZTI’s experimental longline facilities sited at SE Bay of Biscay and AZTI’s experimental raft sited in Mutriku. Trials will run until July 2022.

With this prototype and resulting trials, the BIOGEARS project aims to reduce the current technological gaps and extend the potential use of sustainable materials in the sector. The results of the project support creating a biobased value chain under the EU Bioeconomy Strategy framework.