Short Description of Technology

NIBIO will use digestate from food waste and livestock manure as growing media and fertilizer to grow tomatoes in greenhouse. The new technologies developed in Tasks 2.1 and 2.2 will be tested in greenhouses and pilot plot systems in combination with innovative crop management techniques to refine and identify the best NBS that can be used at larger scale, i.e., to validate their fertilizer effect on crops, compared with mineral fertilizers, combined with the reduction of nutrient losses. ARI and NIBIO will validate circular models for biowaste application in pilot greenhouses and demonstrate how anaerobic biogas and composting plants can be connected to adjacent greenhouses for direct use of nutrients, bio-digestate, energy, and CO2.

Innovative Features

Use of digestate from food waste and livestock manure as fertilizer and growing media has not been widely applied for greenhouse crops but have a large potential in reduction of use of synthetic fertilizers and substrates. Use of waste streams improves circularity and sustainability of greenhouse production.

Microbial N-immobilization during the co-composting of liquid and green waste has not been attempted yet on an industrial scale and has large potential to prevent N-loss by N-immobilization or stabilization in the compost matrix.

Type of Contribution

The co-composting of liquid and green organic waste, struvite precipitation, and ammonium stripping technologies contribute to reduction of N and P pollution and GHG emissions by production of N-rich compost, fertilizers, and pH-regulator products from liquid waste streams and their application in pilot greenhouses.

Benefits for farmers, the industry, and the environment

Integration of utilization of nutrients and carbon from organic waste in greenhouse plant production may reduce environmental pollution, improves circularity and self-sufficiency of local greenhouse production, and will benefit greenhouse growers, waste treatment facilities, and regulator institutions.