Mixed Food Processing, Spain

The extensive use of arable land and inefficient agricultural practices generate significant problems in the health of the local soil. Along with these, the region is characterised by a well-developed food processing industry sector. In this context, the meat, dairy, and fruit-derived products industries generate large amounts of residual streams not fully valorised and containing a relevant potential. In addition, current management of such streams goes to low-added-value applications and centralised systems dealing with mixed food processing but with limited scope.

The Living Lab will characterise and test two existing soil improvers derived from commercialized systems that process mixed-food residue streams: compost and pelletised digestate, as well as three innovative technologies to generate high-value and safety soil improvers: solid-state fermentation (SSF) for biostimulants, pyrolysis to obtain biochar, and non-thermal atmospheric plasma (NTAP) to recover N-rich nutrients as biofertilizers.

This Living Lab will involve actors of the entire value chain, including academia (technology developers), industry (fertilizer producers and residue managers), food industry processors (raw materials generators), final users (farmers and farmer associations), and society (municipalities, civil associations, and agricultural training entities).

BETA Technological Center will act as a Lighthouse to show the development, validation, and demonstration of innovative technologies for producing soil improvers derived from the food processing industry and to make visible pioneer approaches to use such products in agricultural applications.

Co-production of soil improvers from different food processing residues using innovative technologies and testing their effect on soil health in pot and field trials. Increased awareness of the importance of soil health and enhancement of local capacities in the use of soil improvers for upgrading soil health.

Results are expected to be adapted for multiple value chains (aquaculture, beverages, wine, olive oil, etc.) and transferred to different regions of similar characteristics.