Conserval
Recovery of by-products and waste water from the canning industry in the POCTEP space

ABOUT US
Conserval
CONSERVAL is a collaborative project between Spain and Portugal co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund ERDF through the Interreg V-A Spain-Portugal Programme (POCTEP) 2014-2020, which aims to develop technologies for the recovery of by-products and waste water from the canning sector in Galicia and Northern Portugal.
More specifically, CONSERVAL aims to transform these solid and liquid streams into products with greater added value and high business potential, such as specific volatile fatty acids, fish oils with a high Omega 3 content and high value protein hydrolysates.
What is our impact?
To develop sustainable management models based on the valorisation of waste flows from the canning industry to obtain high added value products: volatile fatty acids, oils and proteins. Specifically:
Economic
To contribute to the circular economy model where waste is converted into resources, thus minimizing the environmental impact and making the most of natural resources
Environmental
Developing technological lines for the recovery of waste from the canning sector, such as acid fermentation and enzymatic hydrolysis
Social
To contribute to a technological and innovative model in an integrated way with all the actors of the value chain, taking into account the social and economic impact
TOWARDS A CIRCULAR ECONOMY
In the canning industry
CONSERVAL promotes the modernization of the sector with a sustainable management model that contributes to preserve the marine space, while promoting the economic growth of the region.

Materials and Resources
ENTITY | |
Name of the entity: | Cetaqua | Galician Water Research Centre Foundation |
Description of your general activity: | Cetaqua is a public-private partnership model created to ensure the sustainability and efficiency of the water cycle, taking into account local needs.
This model has been consolidated as a reference in the application of knowledge to water and the environment, creating products and services that benefit society. The collaborations allow us to ensure that we work on innovative, robust and elegant solutions. |
Website | https://www.cetaqua.com/ |
CONSERVAL | |
Description of the tasks to be carried out by the entity within the framework of the project | Cetaqua will carry out the development of the fermentation technology for the targeted production of AGVs from waste water of the canning industry. For this, experiments will be carried out at laboratory scale and, subsequently, a pilot unit (2 m3 ) will be designed for demonstration at a representative scale. |
CONTACT | |
Name of contact person(s) | Álvaro Silva Teira (Project Manager) |
asilvat@cetaqua.com / cetaqua.galicia@cetaqua.com |

ENTITY | |
Name of the entity: | ANICP |
Description of your general activity: |
The ANICP (Associação Nacional dos Industriais de Conservas de Peixe) is a 30-year-old association that aims to defend the interests of its members, the canned fish industries. It is a simple and multipurpose structure that integrates various services such as labour relations and collective bargaining, institutional relations with the various public and private identities, international relations with a view to all contacts with the Community institutions and their counterparts in other European Union countries. |
Website | |
CONSERVAL | |
Description of the tasks to be carried out by the entity within the framework of the project |
Responsible for Activity 1: Importance and impact of the canning sector in Galicia and Northern Portugal ANICP is also the contact point with the canning sector in the north of Portugal |
CONTACT | |
Name of contact person(s) | Isabel Tato |
tato.isabel@gmail.com |

ENTITY | |
Name of the entity: | ANFACO-CECOPESCA |
Description of your general activity: | Business Association and private Technology Centre of national scope, of reference for the marine and food sector, with the aim, among others, of promoting quality and R+D+i in the food sector, as well as the transfer of research results to the business network. It has a total built up area of more than 10,000 m2 which includes the CYTMA, a new infrastructure inaugurated in 2016. It has 253 national and international associated companies and a team of 108 professionals. |
Website | www.anfaco.es |
CONSERVAL | |
Description of the tasks to be carried out by the entity within the framework of the project |
- Analysis of the importance and impact of the canning sector in Galicia in terms of management and recovery of by-products and wastewater. - Development of technologies for obtaining fish oils and protein concentrates from solid by-products and wastewater from the canning industry. Characterisation of the products obtained. - Transfer, internationalisation and exploitation of results: study of potential markets and uses of the products, transfer to the canning industry. |
CONTACT | |
Name of contact person(s) |
- Gonzalo Ojea Rodríguez - Leticia Regueiro Abelleira |

ENTITY | |
Name of the entity: | University of Porto / Faculty of Engineering / Laboratory of Separation and Reaction Processes - Catalysis and Materials Laboratory (LSRE-LCM) |
Description of your general activity: | The LSRE-LCM is an associated laboratory whose mission is to contribute to the development of scientific and technological knowledge in the areas of Chemical Engineering of Separation and Reaction Processes, Product Engineering, Catalysis and Carbon Materials, Thermodynamics and Environmental Engineering. The activities of the LSRE-LCM cover areas of knowledge ranging from fundamental research to the development of industrial products and processes, including contributions in materials, process and product engineering. |
Website | |
CONSERVAL | |
Description of the tasks to be carried out by the entity within the framework of the project | LSRE-LCM activities in the project include the development of membrane separation and adsorption processes for the concentration and fractionation of fatty acids and volatile peptides. Fundamental data on permeation and adsorption equilibrium will be determined, tests will be carried out on pilot units (membranes and fixed bed) and mathematical models of the processes will be developed for industrial scale design. |
CONTACT | |
Name of contact person(s) | Ana Mafalda Ribeiro |
apeixoto@fe.up.pt |

ENTITY | |
Name of the entity: |
USC (University of Santiago de Compostela).
|
Description of your general activity: |
COSOYPA - Use of qualitative and quantitative techniques for the analysis of attitudes, beliefs and frames related to environmental issues and the use of products derived from wastewater - Analysis of the cognitive-emotional factors involved in the acceptance of technologies and products. - Design of priming / social communication strategies. BIOGROUP - Biorefinery - New Technologies for the Treatment of Waste Water. - Environmental management. |
Website |
www.usc.es/cosoypa (en breve accesible) |
CONSERVAL | |
Description of the tasks to be carried out by the entity within the framework of the project |
COSOYPA - Definition of the main products and markets. BIOGROUP - Acid fermentation technology development for volatile fatty acids production. - Development and validation of the mathematical model for products predicting wastewater fermentation of the canning and processing industry. |
CONTACT | |
Name of contact person(s) |
COSOYPA: Elena Andrade/ José Manuel Sabucedo BIOGROUP: Marta Carballa/ Miguel Mauricio |

ENTITY | |
Name of the entity: | Galician University Company Foundation (FEUGA) |
Description of your general activity: | The Galician Business University Foundation (FEUGA) is a private non-profit foundation with more than 30 years of experience in promoting technology transfer between university, industry and society. It belongs to the Spanish Network of Personalised Advisory Services in the field of R+D+i grants, promoted by the CDTI; and acts as an Office for the Transfer of University Knowledge, recognised by the Spanish government. |
Website | www.feuga.es |
CONSERVAL | |
Description of the tasks to be carried out by the entity within the framework of the project |
- Transfer and internationalization of results: coordination of initiatives related to the canning sector and the valorization of waste flows - Medium to long term collaborative sustainability plan between the project partners - Market analysis and business plan of the technologies/results of the project - Communication and dissemination of project results |
CONTACT | |
Name of contact person(s) | Lucía Garrido |
