Every year, sawmills, furniture factories, and agricultural companies in Castilla y León generate thousands of tons of sawdust and other lignocellulosic byproducts. Far from being a liability, this waste can be transformed into high-value bioproducts (pellets, biochar, compost, or biomethane), provided that there is a transparent, digitalized market capable of connecting supply and demand in real time. Platforms such as Circular Market or Biomket, which connect waste generators, managers, and buyers through verified processes and integrated logistics, demonstrate the potential of the marketplace model applied to biomass.
Challenges for SMEs
- Lack of data on waste quality and traceability.
- Difficulty finding local buyers to reduce transport costs.
- Regulatory barriers and lack of awareness of green incentives.
- Need to digitalize auction, billing, and logistics processes.
Benefits of a specialized marketplace
Benefit | Impact |
Circular monetization | New revenue streams from selling sawdust as pellets or agricultural substrate. |
Operational efficiency | Less time spent on calls and emails; the entire flow is managed on the platform. |
Regulatory compliance | Automatic generation of e-documents and traceability for environmental audits. |
CO₂ reduction | Local valorization avoids long-distance transport and reduces carbon footprint. |
Spain’s Biogas Roadmap estimates that the country could recover up to 159 Mt of agricultural and forestry waste annually, positioning biomass as a key driver of decarbonization and rural development.
Source: El País.
Use cases
- Premium pellets: certified pine sawdust is compacted and sold to industrial biomass boilers.
- Horticultural substrates: blends of screened sawdust and compost for high-density crops.
- Bioplastics: wood fibers replacing part of the fossil polymer in compostable packaging.
- Rural biomethane: codigestion of sawdust with slurry to produce renewable gas and fertilizer digestate.
Digital tools and solutions
- Exchange platforms (Biomket, Circular Market) to publish lots and close contracts.
- IoT sensors to measure sawdust moisture and density in real time.
- Blockchain to record waste traceability.
- AI algorithms that recommend the best logistics routes by cost and CO₂.
How DIGIS3 can help you
- Free assessment of digital maturity.
- Experimentation labs to test sensors and blockchain traceability.
- Training in transversal digital technologies applicable to the circular economy sector.
- Access to funding from European, national, and regional programs to implement platforms.
- Connection with marketplaces and industrial clusters already operating in the Circular Economy.
If you are an SME, mid-cap, or entrepreneur in the wood-biomass value chain, contact us and become a supplier or buyer of recoverable waste.