Find out what the project’s approach is to turning the agri-food linear economy into a circular one and what the potential benefits would be.
Explore and spread the word about the project case studies
Discover details and progress of the six project case studies in the new leaflets, all available in English and the national language of each case study.
The leaflets contain specific information on each of the sites and innovative practices that Circular Agronomics is investigating as potential solutions for carbon and nutrient management.
The leaflets are available both online and in high-resolution files for print.
Soil sampling across Europe
A first, ‘baseline sampling’ campaign carried out in autumn 2019 included 75 soil cores from five of the project case study sites in Austria, Czechia, Germany, Italy and Spain. This first sampling is carried out prior to applying any amendments or fertilisers.
The second campaign, within the framework of the project, will take place two years after the application of the new amendments and is expected to demonstrate the short-term effect of new organic fertilisers on the soil biogeochemical properties.
Additional soil sampling in Germany and Spain is expected to reveal the long-term impact of organic fertilisers (such as pig slurry, biogas digestate), through experiments running since 2011 and 2015, respectively.
European initiatives for nutrient recovery in agri-food systems
A recent workshop (16 December 2019 – Vila-sana, Lleida, Spain), jointly organised by Circular Agronomics project partner IRTA and the Horizon 2020 project Nutri2Cycle, discussed various European initiatives for nutrient recovery in agri-food systems.
The event showcased the various strategies that exist across Europe to recycle nutrients and that the different EU-funded projects already working to achieve this can complement one another in order to attain a common goal. Watch this video to find out more.
Recovering nitrogen from agricultural waste
A new pilot plant for nitrogen recovery from agricultural waste and intended to tackle nitrate contamination in groundwater has become operational in February 2020 in Berge, Germany. The plant was designed and built within the framework of Circular Agronomics by project partners PONDUS Verfahrenstechnik GmbH and Kompetenzzentrum Wasser Berlin gGmbH (KWB).
The plant will allow for a separation of nitrogen from the digestate high-carbon fraction and, subsequently, for an adequate soil improvement by means of carbon or by soil fertilisation with nitrogen. In particular, this approach will have a positive effect on the groundwater, since the nitrogen can be selectively applied.
For more information, read the full article (pages 1 and 4).
Collaboration between Circular Agronomics and Nutri2Cycle
Find out more about the collaboration and complementarities between the Circular Agronomics and Nutri2Cycle projects, both working to identify innovative ways of closing nutrient and carbon loops at the farm and regional levels.
Sharing a common objective, the projects largely vary in approach, but actively seek to cooperate through joint initiatives, networking events and conferences, such as the upcoming European Sustainable Nutrient Initiative (ESNI) on 23 April 2020 in Brussels, Belgium.
Find out more about the 