News

🚀 Launch of the European CHIHIRO project: Celabor commits to bio-based and circular rubber

In early May 2026, the official kick-off meeting of the European CHIHIRO project was held in Zaragoza, Spain, under the coordination of consortium coordinator MOSES PRODUCTOS SL. Celabor is proud to announce its active participation in this ambitious initiative, which aims to transform the rubber value chain in Europe.

🔬 The Context: Addressing a Strategic European Vulnerability

Natural rubber is a critical raw material that is essential to many key sectors, including healthcare, transport and defence. However, the European Union faces a major dependency: nearly 90% of its current supply comes from plantations concentrated in Asia. Faced with climate change pressures and growing demand, Europe urgently needs to diversify its sources in a sustainable way.

The CHIHIRO project addresses this challenge by harnessing the potential of guayule (Parthenium argentatum), a resilient shrub well adapted to European climatic conditions.

🎯 A Cascade Biorefinery for 100% Biomass Valorisation

The originality of CHIHIRO lies in its concept of an integrated cascade biorefinery capable of valorising the entire guayule biomass. Going far beyond conventional latex extraction, the project will make use of co-products (resin and lignocellulosic bagasse) to create high-performance industrial applications:

  • Production of bio-based thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) from the resin fractions.
  • Development of eco-friendly reinforcing additives to replace current fossil-based fillers.
  • Industrial validation through the manufacture of concrete prototypes (3D-printed seals, sealing compounds and toys) meeting the strictest safety and performance requirements.

🛠️ The Synergy of Two Key Departments at Celabor

Within the consortium, Celabor is positioned at the interface between separation science and materials science, bringing together two of its leading teams:

1. “Extraction & Biotech” Department

The team will leverage its cutting-edge expertise in industrial fractionation and extraction processes. Celabor will be particularly involved in the cascade separation of lignocellulosic biomass (bagasse) and guayule resin. The department will play a key role in producing a fermentable sugar fraction from the hemicellulosic component, which will subsequently be converted through fermentation into polyisoprene, the major constituent of bio-based synthetic rubber. The overall objective will be to sustainably isolate building blocks with optimal purity for subsequent processing steps.

2. “Materials” Department

The Materials team will then take over to transform cellulose- and lignin-rich fractions into bio-based reinforcing additives. Drawing on its expertise, the department will develop cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) and lignin nanoparticles (LNP) for incorporation into new rubber and polymer formulations. Using its advanced pilot-scale facilities for compounding, extrusion and physicochemical characterisation, Celabor will actively contribute to the development of sustainable, recyclable and high-performance polymer materials.

🇪🇺 The CHIHIRO Project in Figures

  • ⏳ Duration: 45 months (1 May 2026 – 31 January 2030)
  • 💰 Total budget: ~€3.48 million (funded by the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking – CBE JU / Horizon Europe Programme)
  • 🤝 A consortium of 9 outstanding partners: MOSES PRODUCTOS SL (Coordinator – ES), CELABOR SRL (BE), UNIVERSITAT ROVIRA I VIRGILI (ES), DEUTSCHES INSTITUT FÜR KAUTSCHUKTECHNOLOGIE e.V. – DIK (DE), POLYMERIS (FR), HOLOSS (PT), GUATECS (FR), EVOENZYME SL (ES) and MINILAND S.A. (ES).

All of Celabor’s teams are eagerly looking forward to working with this leading European consortium to accelerate Europe’s green transition and strategic autonomy!

📞 Contact & Information

For any questions regarding Celabor’s involvement in the CHIHIRO project or to explore collaboration opportunities:

  • Extraction Contact: Mahmoud Hamzaoui
  • Materials Contact: Xavier Joppin