DeliSoil’s overall goal is to contribute to the European Union’s Mission “A Soil Deal for Europe”, by improving the sustainability of food systems and enhancing soil health. This will be achieved by developing improved recycling and processing solutions for food industry residues, to produce safe, sustainable, tailored and societally accepted soil improvers in the EU, in collaboration with the EU Soil Observatory (EUSO) and other projects. The tailored soil improvers are defined as a material obtained from a food processing residue stream which has been identified and tested for adding to soil, this also includes organic fertilisers.
As much as 20% of the food available in the EU turns into waste (total ca. 130 Mt, year 2011), of which approx. 24% is produced in the food processing and manufacturing phase. As an average, 5% of raw materials in the food industry end up as waste, and there are big differences between products and processing techniques. Food waste streams vary significantly between different countries, e.g. different agricultural production and treatment systems. Food processing and production residues have high valorisation potential, because there are large, concentrated and homogeneous amounts of food waste streams. This contributes to the circular economy approach where useful material, once seen as waste, is recycled back into the supply chain to create new products. Detailed analyses of the technical and economic feasibility and environmental effects of possible valorisation routes for food waste are needed to select processes and products that enable optimal valorisation while ensuring sustainability and safety in the entire food value chain. The types and amounts of food waste available in different locations will also be evaluated.
Arable soils are subject to severe degradation in the EU. 12.7% of Europe is affected by moderate to high erosion, causing an estimated loss of agricultural production of €1.25B per year. At the same time, organic carbon stocks in cropland topsoil are declining, accelerating global climate change. Soils are healthy when they are in good chemical, biological and physical condition, and thus able to continuously provide their important ecosystem services (food and biomass production, carbon reservoir etc.). Use of recycled fertiliser products would contribute to independence from mineral fertilisers and improve soil health. Organic matter and nutrients in food industry waste products could be reused but are often instead released to the nearby environment, such as waterways where they can cause eutrophication. Applying circular bioeconomy methods to the food industry value chain, improving use of residue streams and regional production of soil improvers will enhance food system sustainability and so reduce waste.
