Danish bioresearch aims to replace soybean meal for clover grass-based protein

In a report from 2014 , the environmental think tank Concito estimated that the emission of GHGs related to the Danish demand for soy proteins corresponds to over 80% of the emission from Danish passenger cars or almost half of the national emission from Danish agriculture. Based on that a recent research from Denmark-based Aarhus University is currently examining whether it will be possible to replace traditional protein sources with protein from clover grass in organic pig feed.

The actual process of extracting the protein from the grass requires a significant amount of time, the researchers said in a statement. It takes place at a biorefinery plant in Foulum. According to Aarhus, an even bigger plant for grass protein production is under construction. Besides protein, the green crops also contain a fibre fraction that may be used as cattle feed or as raw material in biogas or ethanol production.

Around 1.5 and 1.7 million tonnes of soybeans and its derivatives are imported, especially from South America.