FERTILWASTES

Target audience

Companies interested in the production of biofertilisers and biostimulants. The FERTILWASTES project will contribute to and generate knowledge for implementing a circular bioeconomy in which co-products generated by the agricultural and agri-industrial sectors are transformed into innovative, high-value-added products, such as slow-release fertilisers, biostimulants and biodegradable horticultural pots.

Project objective

The objective of FERTILWASTES is to promote the valorisation of co-products from organic waste treatment systems into innovative products of agricultural interest with high added value.

This main objective is divided into the following specific objectives:

• IDENTIFY. Identify sources of co-products in the POCTEFA area.

• Assess the transformation of these co-products into innovative products for the agricultural sector (slow-release fertilisers, biostimulants and biodegradable horticultural pots).

• Assess and validate the performance of innovative agricultural products.

• Assess economic, environmental and social sustainability.

Project description

The FERTILWASTES project is being carried out in the POCTEFA area (Spain, France and Andorra), a region with significant agricultural and industrial potential that generates large volumes of organic waste. In addition, the uneven distribution of nutrient loads across agricultural areas, combined with excessive nutrient concentrations in many cases, causes environmental problems that require costly treatment.

Existing conventional waste treatment systems, such as composting and anaerobic digestion, produce co-products with some agronomic value, but these have several limitations for agricultural use. At the same time, new technologies for biomass and effluent valorisation are emerging, such as pyrolysis and microalgae cultivation. All the co-products generated by these processes (digestate, compost, biochar and microalgae) are of agronomic interest but have low economic value.

FERTILWASTES aims to develop and produce new, innovative agricultural products from these co-products, such as slow-release biofertilisers, biostimulants and biodegradable horticultural pots, all with greater added value.

Impact

The innovative concepts developed through the FERTILWASTES project will help strengthen regional self-sufficiency and promote the development of more environmentally friendly agriculture. The project will provide the techniques needed to formulate and standardise competitive, innovative products that can subsequently be distributed more widely across the region and have an impact beyond the POCTEFA area.