Imagine taking the food and garden scraps from cities and turning them into a super-charged vitamin boost for tired soil. By mixing a special charcoal made from waste with the liquid leftovers from biogas plants, the project creates a sponge-like material that holds water and nutrients better. It's like giving the earth a probiotic treatment to help crops grow without needing expensive chemical fertilizers.
Agricultural soils are losing nutrients and water-holding capacity, while biogas plants struggle with the high cost of disposing of nutrient-rich digestates. Simultaneously, 34% of municipal waste is bio-waste that remains underutilized.
A formulated soil amender combining optimized biochar (selected from 36 lab-scale variants) and anaerobic digestion digestates.
If you are a waste processor dealing with the fact that bio-waste makes up 34% of municipal waste — this project developed a way to convert that waste into biochar and digestate mixtures that turn a disposal cost into a sellable soil product.
If you are a biogas producer dealing with high costs for disposing of nutrient-rich digestates — this project developed a method to combine these effluents with biochar to create a high-value biofertilizer, improving the overall profitability of AD projects.
If you are a farm owner dealing with land erosion and nutrient depletion in poor soils — this project developed a soil improver that boosts agricultural yields and increases water retention capacity across different soil types.
Based on available project data, specific pricing is not provided, but the project aims to demonstrate economic returns by reducing digestate disposal costs and replacing fossil-fuel-based fertilizers.
Yes, the project aims to demonstrate the product at TRL 8 in field tests across Spain, Greece, and France, indicating a move toward industrial-scale application.
Based on available project data, specific licensing terms are not mentioned, but the project involves 4 industry partners and 2 SMEs ready to take up the results.
The project specifically targets the EU goal to recycle 65% of municipal waste by 2035 and follows European Biochar Certificate (EBC) standards for characterization.
The project runs from June 2023 to July 2027, with field demonstrations (TRL 8) planned as part of its objectives.
The consortium is strongly geared toward commercialization, with a 44% industry ratio (4 industry partners, including 2 SMEs). The balance between 3 universities and 2 research centers ensures the scientific validation of the 36 biochar types, while the presence of industry partners across 4 countries (DK, EL, ES, FR) suggests a clear path from lab-scale characterization to TRL 8 field deployment.
Contact the Universidad de Granada for technical specifications on biochar-digestate formulations.
Contact us to connect with the FENIX industry partners for early adoption of the soil improver.
