GAIKER is working on the development of biowaste-based amendments to reverse soil degradation

The European SOILUTIONS project will validate and optimize four value chains to produce at least five biowaste-based soil improvers.

 

GAIKER Technology Center, member of the Basque Research & Technology Alliance, BRTA, is one of the twelve partners participating in the European project “Enabling underused bio-waste feedstocks into safe and effective market-ready soil improvers, SOILUTIONS” whose objective is to reverse soil degradation through the development of amendments derived from bio-waste.

 

About 70% of soils in the European Union are degraded due to unsustainable management practices and excessive use of synthetic chemicals. This degradation is increasing and is jeopardizing soil fertility and productivity.

Therefore, in order to address this important problem and offer sustainable alternatives derived from bio-waste, using a circular economy approach, this project funded by the Horizon Europe research and innovation program has a duration of three years (2023-2026).

 

During this time, four value chains will be validated and optimized to produce at least five soil improvers generated from biowaste. Living Labs will also be set up in Flanders, Valencia and Murcia to work directly with stakeholders in real environments to ensure that the soil improvers developed meet market needs, that they have positive environmental, economic and social effects and that they comply with social expectations and legal regulations.

 

Currently, the SOILUTIONS project is working on the chemical, biological and toxicological characterization of the biowaste that will later be transformed into soil improvers, and a review of the different regulations that affect the placing on the market of these improvers is being carried out.

 

GAIKER is responsible for the safety study of the biowaste that will be used as raw material for the development of the soil amendments, and will ensure that they meet the established quality and safety requirements. This study includes the evaluation of the possible toxicological risks of the biowaste and soil improvers to be developed, both for human health and the environment, by means of in vitro and ecotoxicity tests. In addition, a metagenomic analysis will be performed to study possible changes in the structure of the bacterial communities in the presence of the soil amendments developed. The results of this safety study will be integrated and used to select safe soil amendment formulations, following a safe and sustainable design (SSbD) approach.