Periodic Reporting for period 1 - RUSTICA (Demonstration of circular biofertilisers and implementation of optimized fertiliser strategies and value chains in rural communities)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2021-01-01 do 2022-06-30
The RUSTICA projects provides a technical solution to convert organic residues from the fruit and vegetable sector into novel bio-based fertiliser products of high quality that address the needs of modern (organic) agriculture. The project’s ambition goes beyond the simple recovery of nutrients, and also includes the developments of economically viable and environmentally sustainable alternatives to mineral fertilisers with the same or improved agronomic value. The technical solution consists of 5 conversion processes which can be combined depending on the available waste streams, and integrated with state-of-the-art technologies such as composting. Synergies between the individual conversion processes will be sought and optimized to maximize economic and environmental benefits. The resulting ingredients will be combined to obtain tailor made fertiliser products adapted to specific crop needs.
Parallel with this technological innovation and integration, a multi-actor approach guarantees the implementation potential of the technologies in the agro-food chain, and will lead to sound business models. Several non-technical aspects (environmental and social life cycle analysis, legal framework, expected market developments…) will be evaluated in 4 European regions: Flanders (BE), Almeria (ES), Pays de la Loire (FR) and Friuli-Venezia Giulia (IT), and one region in South America: Valle del Cauca (CO). Stakeholder involvement at each step guarantees the development of marketable end products for the fruit and vegetable sector, with a high replication potential to other agricultural sectors. Cooperation with other EU funded projects working on nutrient recovery from other waste products will stimulate a joint solution to evolve towards a sustainable and circular fertiliser management to close nutrient cycles within and between regions.
The overall objective of the project is to foster the technical validation, demonstration and implementation of bio-based fertiliser and soil improvement production techniques focusing on waste from the fruit and vegetable agro-food system to close nutrient cycles on a regional level. This objective will be achieved through a transdisciplinary multi-actor approach, aimed at validating, demonstrating and integrating 6 technological options for mineral nutrient recovery from fruit and vegetable waste streams in multi-valorisation configurations.
Parallel with this technological innovation and integration, a multi-actor approach guarantees the implementation potential of the technologies in the agro-food chain, and will lead to sound business models. Several non-technical aspects (environmental and social life cycle analysis, legal framework, expected market developments…) will be evaluated in 4 European regions: Flanders (BE), Almeria (ES), Pays de la Loire (FR) and Friuli-Venezia Giulia (IT), and one region in South America: Valle del Cauca (CO). Stakeholder involvement at each step guarantees the development of marketable end products for the fruit and vegetable sector, with a high replication potential to other agricultural sectors. Cooperation with other EU funded projects working on nutrient recovery from other waste products will stimulate a joint solution to evolve towards a sustainable and circular fertiliser management to close nutrient cycles within and between regions.
The overall objective of the project is to foster the technical validation, demonstration and implementation of bio-based fertiliser and soil improvement production techniques focusing on waste from the fruit and vegetable agro-food system to close nutrient cycles on a regional level. This objective will be achieved through a transdisciplinary multi-actor approach, aimed at validating, demonstrating and integrating 6 technological options for mineral nutrient recovery from fruit and vegetable waste streams in multi-valorisation configurations.
The multi-actor approach has been set up. Specific actions that support this objective took place. For each of the 5 regional networks, a knowledge broker or knowledge broker team organised already two regional workshops with external stakeholders, with a 6 month interval. An online shared toolbox was set up. This toolbox consists of participatory tools, specific guidelines and templates to organize and monitor the regional workshops.
Benefits and risks of the RUSTICA technology integration for nutrient recovery have been evaluated against the background market conditions in 5 RUSTICA regions. The results of this analysis have been summarised in business case fact sheets and market analysis report providing an insight in the current state-of-the-art in by-product availability, waste treatment methods, agricultural practices and fertiliser use in 5 regions. Furthermore, an in-depth legal analysis of the EU legislative framework has been successfully completed. The study focused on the variety of feedstocks, the spectrum of processing methods, requirements of products addressing CE marked fertilisers and those for organic production. The CE marking is a declaration by the manufacturer that a product meets the health, safety and environmental requirements of the current European product legislation. It is proof that the product has gone through the relevant conformity assessment procedure. Finally, the environmental and economic analysis of 6 technology solutions has started. A dedicated data monitoring and collection tool has been designed and shared with the technology partners to compile an inventory data for the foreground processes.
Future scenarios were explored both in the light of global trends and of RUSTICA regions through regional multi-actor networks. A report has been written, focusing on the identification of future scenarios, primarily based on the relevant literature and available data source at global level. The implementation of the 1st regional multi-Actor network meetings in the RUSTICA regions allow to validate the market analysis and to build future scenarios at regional level, highlighting both opportunities and threats related to the local socio-economic and political context. Four alternative scenarios for the development of bio-based fertilisers were defined considering the main drivers and their priorities and interconnections.
The 5 new RUSTICA technologies were further developed and experimental and -testing schemes were performed. All provide opportunities to bring bio-residues to valuable fertiliser ingredients. The feedstock has been selected and their suitability has been studied. For the pilot, the process parameters have been optimised to better suit the needs of the process cascade. Three out of five pilots have already been built and will undergo small modifications to better suit the needs of the RUSTICA project. The pilot for Insect Cultivation is currently being build and the pilot location has been prepared. The Carboxyl Acid Platform pilot has been designed, and the specifications of the pilots for microbial protein production and nutrient concentration. The building block materials have been analysed for their composition and characteristics and categorised for hypothetical agricultural and environmental value.
Benefits and risks of the RUSTICA technology integration for nutrient recovery have been evaluated against the background market conditions in 5 RUSTICA regions. The results of this analysis have been summarised in business case fact sheets and market analysis report providing an insight in the current state-of-the-art in by-product availability, waste treatment methods, agricultural practices and fertiliser use in 5 regions. Furthermore, an in-depth legal analysis of the EU legislative framework has been successfully completed. The study focused on the variety of feedstocks, the spectrum of processing methods, requirements of products addressing CE marked fertilisers and those for organic production. The CE marking is a declaration by the manufacturer that a product meets the health, safety and environmental requirements of the current European product legislation. It is proof that the product has gone through the relevant conformity assessment procedure. Finally, the environmental and economic analysis of 6 technology solutions has started. A dedicated data monitoring and collection tool has been designed and shared with the technology partners to compile an inventory data for the foreground processes.
Future scenarios were explored both in the light of global trends and of RUSTICA regions through regional multi-actor networks. A report has been written, focusing on the identification of future scenarios, primarily based on the relevant literature and available data source at global level. The implementation of the 1st regional multi-Actor network meetings in the RUSTICA regions allow to validate the market analysis and to build future scenarios at regional level, highlighting both opportunities and threats related to the local socio-economic and political context. Four alternative scenarios for the development of bio-based fertilisers were defined considering the main drivers and their priorities and interconnections.
The 5 new RUSTICA technologies were further developed and experimental and -testing schemes were performed. All provide opportunities to bring bio-residues to valuable fertiliser ingredients. The feedstock has been selected and their suitability has been studied. For the pilot, the process parameters have been optimised to better suit the needs of the process cascade. Three out of five pilots have already been built and will undergo small modifications to better suit the needs of the RUSTICA project. The pilot for Insect Cultivation is currently being build and the pilot location has been prepared. The Carboxyl Acid Platform pilot has been designed, and the specifications of the pilots for microbial protein production and nutrient concentration. The building block materials have been analysed for their composition and characteristics and categorised for hypothetical agricultural and environmental value.
To support the agricultural residue management (vegetable crops) and the circular bio-economy sectors, RUSTICA has the ambition to demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility of a cascade process to bring new biowaste based biofertiliser production value chains to the market. The ground-breaking project objectives and targets, realised through a multi-actor approach to set up a local, rural bio-economy, will lead to a significant advancement of technical and socio-economic knowledge beyond the state-of-the-art. In the first phase of the phase of the project, the preconditions have been developed to move beyond the state of the art. The multi-actor approach has been set up, including interactions with stakeholders at the regional level.
The RUSTICA process will provide a solution that is able to provide agriculture with biofertiliser products with the same advantages as mineral fertilisers, but sourced from locally available waste streams, and tailored to the local soil properties and crops for long-term soil fertility and plant health.
The innovation potential of RUSTICA lies in the development of a technology combination for the sustainable conversion of fruit and vegetable waste streams and residues into biofertiliser ingredients which will be blended together to match the fertiliser needs in local crop production, taking into account soil properties. RUSTICA will provide a robust integration of different processes able to cope with a wide diversity of solid residues from the fruit and vegetable sector, and able to cope with seasonal variability. The RUSTICA concept ensures high conversion yields via processes that have already been proven experimentally by the project partners.
The RUSTICA process will provide a solution that is able to provide agriculture with biofertiliser products with the same advantages as mineral fertilisers, but sourced from locally available waste streams, and tailored to the local soil properties and crops for long-term soil fertility and plant health.
The innovation potential of RUSTICA lies in the development of a technology combination for the sustainable conversion of fruit and vegetable waste streams and residues into biofertiliser ingredients which will be blended together to match the fertiliser needs in local crop production, taking into account soil properties. RUSTICA will provide a robust integration of different processes able to cope with a wide diversity of solid residues from the fruit and vegetable sector, and able to cope with seasonal variability. The RUSTICA concept ensures high conversion yields via processes that have already been proven experimentally by the project partners.