Partners of the EU-funded
SOILUTIONS project met last Tuesday (12 September) for the first time in person to launch their mission of reversing soil degradation through the development of bio-waste derived soil improvers.
Soil health is considered a global emergency, and up to 70% of EU soils are degraded due to unsustainable management practices and the overuse of synthetic chemicals. SOILUTIONS aims to provide sustainable alternatives derived from biowaste, utilising a circular economy approach.
“The SOILUTIONS project will build on the work of past EU-funded research projects ValueWaste and WaysTUP! to develop at least five safe and market-ready soil improvers. Not only will this help boost soil recovery, it will also reduce the reliance on synthetic chemicals and landfilling/incineration of bio-waste.” Belén Miranda, S.A. Agricultores De Lavega De Valencia, Project Coordinator
The SOILUTIONS team will validate and optimise four bio-based circular value chains to produce bio-waste soil improvers containing hygenised animal blood, frass, N-struvite and K-struvite.
Living Labs will be established in Flanders, Valencia and Murcia to ensure the developed soil improvers answer the needs of the market and are compliant with regulatory and societal expectations. This co-creation will bring together producers, end-users, research centres, public bodies and civil society.
Partners will also design an upscaling roadmap and a circular business model for each valorisation route to engage entrepreneurs and relevant soil companies to foster the commercialisation of advanced bio-waste soil improvers across the EU.
SOILUTIONS is part of the EU’s Horizon Europe Mission 'A Soil Deal for Europe' which will establish 100 living labs and lighthouses to lead the transition towards healthy soils by 2030.
About SOILUTIONS
The SOILUTIONS project is funded under the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme and will run for three years, from June 2023 to May 2026.
11 partners will work on the project: S.A. Agricultores De Lavega De Valencia (Coordinator - Spain), NuReSys (Belgium), CETENMA (Spain), GAIKER (Spain), Draxis Environmental (Greece), Greenovate! Europe (Belgium), Collaborating Centre On Sustainable Consumption And Production – CSCP (Germany), Las Naves (Spain), Entomo Consulting (Spain), Ghent University (Belgium), Fertiberia (Spain).
GAIKER’s work
GAIKER will participate in the review of the regulatory aspects that directly affect the bio-waste to be used as raw material for the development of soil improvers, in order to ensure compliance with the established quality and safety requirements. It will also be responsible for assessing the potential toxicological risks of the bio-waste and soil improvers developed, both for human health and the environment, by means of in vitro and ecotoxicity assays.