Periodic Reporting for period 2 - bioSOILUTIONS (Enabling underused bio-waste feedstocks into safe and effective market-ready soil improvers.)
Reporting period: 2024-12-01 to 2025-11-30
Soils are finite natural resources with critical socio-economic and ecological functions, including food production, biodiversity conservation and regulation of water supplies. Today 60-70% of soils are degraded across the EU due to unsustainable soil exploitation and the disproportionate use of synthetic chemicals .Soil degradation is expected to increase in the coming years because of climate change, increased land use and unsustainable practices linked to human population growth, resulting in direct negative consequences on the food supply chain, environment, biodiversity and human health
Bio-waste is an underused waste stream (70% bio-waste is still landfilled/incinerated) with a high potential for producing valuable soil improvers able to reverse soil degradation
bioSoilutions will overcome these challenges by further developing 4 key bio-waste valorisation routes (VRs) from previous key EU projects and into at least 5 safe, market ready soil-improvers catering the specific needs of entrepreneurs and end users and in the soil improver sector through bioSoilutions living labs.
Bio-waste is an underused waste stream (70% bio-waste is still landfilled/incinerated) with a high potential for producing valuable soil improvers able to reverse soil degradation
bioSoilutions will overcome these challenges by further developing 4 key bio-waste valorisation routes (VRs) from previous key EU projects and into at least 5 safe, market ready soil-improvers catering the specific needs of entrepreneurs and end users and in the soil improver sector through bioSoilutions living labs.
The project has made significant progress in developing innovative soil improvers derived from circular bio-waste materials. More than 70 different product prototypes have been created using resources such as recovered nutrients (including struvite rich in nitrogen and phosphorus), insect-derived materials, and processed animal by-products. These solutions have been designed in both solid and liquid forms, with tailored nutrient compositions to meet the needs of different crops and regional farming conditions, particularly in Spain and Flanders. Many of these products also include components that naturally stimulate plant growth, helping to improve crop performance in a sustainable way.
A comprehensive safety assessment has confirmed that the developed products are safe for both the environment and human health. Laboratory testing has shown that they are non-toxic to aquatic life and present similar safety profiles to conventional fertilisers when handled appropriately. Further testing is ongoing to deepen the understanding of their long-term effects on soil ecosystems.
The effectiveness of these soil improvers has been demonstrated through greenhouse experiments, laboratory studies, and real field trials. Results show that several of the new products can match or even outperform traditional mineral fertilisers, particularly in delivering phosphorus to crops and maintaining yields. In addition, some formulations significantly improve soil quality by increasing stable organic carbon content, which is essential for long-term soil fertility and climate resilience. These findings highlight the potential to reduce the use of conventional fertilisers while maintaining agricultural productivity.
To ensure these innovations meet real farming needs, selected products are currently being tested directly on farms in Spain and Flanders. Farmers are actively involved in evaluating their performance under practical conditions, providing valuable feedback that will help refine the products and support their future market uptake.
Overall, the project demonstrates that transforming bio-waste into high-quality soil improvers is a viable and sustainable solution. These innovations can benefit farmers, the fertiliser industry, and society as a whole by reducing dependency on conventional fertilisers, improving soil health, and contributing to a more circular and environmentally friendly agricultural system.
A comprehensive safety assessment has confirmed that the developed products are safe for both the environment and human health. Laboratory testing has shown that they are non-toxic to aquatic life and present similar safety profiles to conventional fertilisers when handled appropriately. Further testing is ongoing to deepen the understanding of their long-term effects on soil ecosystems.
The effectiveness of these soil improvers has been demonstrated through greenhouse experiments, laboratory studies, and real field trials. Results show that several of the new products can match or even outperform traditional mineral fertilisers, particularly in delivering phosphorus to crops and maintaining yields. In addition, some formulations significantly improve soil quality by increasing stable organic carbon content, which is essential for long-term soil fertility and climate resilience. These findings highlight the potential to reduce the use of conventional fertilisers while maintaining agricultural productivity.
To ensure these innovations meet real farming needs, selected products are currently being tested directly on farms in Spain and Flanders. Farmers are actively involved in evaluating their performance under practical conditions, providing valuable feedback that will help refine the products and support their future market uptake.
Overall, the project demonstrates that transforming bio-waste into high-quality soil improvers is a viable and sustainable solution. These innovations can benefit farmers, the fertiliser industry, and society as a whole by reducing dependency on conventional fertilisers, improving soil health, and contributing to a more circular and environmentally friendly agricultural system.
Four bio-waste valorisation routes (animal blood hydrolysate, insect frass, N-struvite and K-struvite) were validated as safe, available and scalable feedstocks. Over 70 soil improver prototypes were developed and optimised with microbial and non-microbial biostimulants. Agronomic validation confirmed improved nutrient efficiency, soil organic matter and reduced reliance on synthetic fertilisers, leading to the selection of five prototypes for farmer-led field validation. Living Labs in Spain and Flanders enabled co-creation, stakeholder engagement, and entrepreneurship. Market uptake was supported through techno-economic analysis, business model development and regulatory assessment. Environmental, economic and social acceptance are being assessed via LCA/SLCA, while communication and dissemination activities expanded outreach, clustering and exploitation readiness across Europe.