The European project ManuREfinery, aimed at the sustainable management of livestock waste, is starting up in Zaragoza. It will involve 23 partners, including the Fluid Dynamic Technologies (TFD) group of the Engineering Research Institute of Aragon (I3A) of the University of Zaragoza.
The project aims to revolutionise livestock waste management in Europe by developing a modular, mobile and sustainable biorefinery for resource and nutrient recovery, transforming manure into fertilisers and bio-ingredients for animal feed.
The Instituto Tecnológico de Aragón (ITA), as coordinator, is hosting the first meeting of partners today and tomorrow (Tuesday 24th and Wednesday 25th) at its headquarters on the Río Ebro Campus in Zaragoza, which marks the start of the actions to be implemented until it ends in August 2028.
Livestock farming is the cornerstone of the rural economy in Europe. However, it also causes pollution with a significant impact on air quality, excess input of inorganic nutrients (eutrophication) and climate change. Europe produces more than 1.4 billion tonnes of manure annually, of which cows contribute 75% and pigs and chickens 12% each.
Despite the efforts of recent decades, the current management of manure and its disposal on agricultural land as fertiliser still pose significant pollution problems, which, together with the control of ammonia emissions, pose multiple challenges today.
This project is expected to bring economic benefits to primary producers, environmental savings, social impacts, with 5,000 new skilled jobs and 15,000 unskilled jobs and potential replicators in the livestock sector, over 2,500 farms among project partners in the medium term across Europe.
Digital twins and data science
ManuREfinery combines the development of advanced manure conversion units into high value-added products, with the application of digital twins and data science to support decision making and improve conversion processes. In addition, it will conduct an economic, social and environmental sustainability assessment, actions to increase the participation of the livestock sector and drive the development of business models that allow farmers to diversify their sources of income.
The project's innovation will be demonstrated on livestock farms in Slovenia, Spain and Romania, thus supporting the transition to a sustainable bioeconomy in Central and Eastern European regions.
At the ManuREfinery kick-off meeting in Zaragoza, the I3A's Fluid Dynamics Technologies (TFD) research group is leading two working sessions, one on the project's digital twin strategy and the second to coordinate the developments of the gas treatment line.
The researchers of the TFD group participate in this European project in the design and deployment of the ManuREfinery's digitalisation strategy, which will allow the integration of data and knowledge, as well as a rapid technology transfer from the R&D groups to the companies that design, install and operate the technologies, guaranteeing a high efficiency in the use of resources and environmental protection.
The core components of the digital twin will be hybrid models, combining both equipment and process data and bioreactor models based on physical principles.
The ManuREfinery project has a funding of 9 million euros. Coordinated by ITA, it will work together with the Institute of Sustainable Processes of the University of Valladolid as technical coordinator, the I3A of the University of Zaragoza, Siemens Engines, Syspro Automation, Agropecuaria del Centro Agrocesa, and Fertinagro Biotech, as well as international partners. In total, 23 partners of which eight are Spanish.
About ManuREfinery
This project is part of a public-private initiative in the form of a European institutional partnership, the Joint Undertaking. Circular Bio-Based Europe (CBE) under the Framework Programme of Horizon Europe. It will run for four years, from September 2024 to August 2028.
Resumen de la información oficial pública: Biorefinería móvil modular inteligente de estiércol a residuo cero maximizando la recuperación de recursos y nutrientes para bioingredientes de piensos y fertilizantes en zonas rurales (ManuREfinery): https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101157679/es
