Enhancement Initiative for Livestock Waste Management

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UPV participates in a project to improve the management of livestock waste.

IIAMA-UPV, Global Omnium, and Servyeco are collaborating on the development of the Valpurin project to minimize the effects of agricultural and livestock waste on the environment, especially on soil and water resources. The initiative aims to develop and validate a new process for valorizing slurry and obtaining new resources.

The Valpurin initiative, in which a collaboration involving IIAMA-UPV, Global Omnium, and Servyeco is engaged, aims to devise eco-friendly methods for handling slurry sustainably and subsequently extracting value from its components. This endeavor recognizes the significant environmental impact of agri-food practices, particularly intensive livestock farming, which generates a range of pollutants affecting water, air, and soil. These pollutants, commonly referred to as slurry, exhibit varying compositions, with nitrogen being a major concern, accompanied by significant levels of organic matter and salinity. “Untreated slurry often contains substantial quantities of unstable organic matter and elevated ammonia concentrations, dependent on farm-specific characteristics. Across Europe, managing these residues poses a serious challenge for farmers, notably following the implementation of the Nitrates Directive (91/676/EEC), which imposes stringent restrictions on waste spreading onto adjacent agricultural lands, barring any risks of human or environmental contamination,” elucidated the project collaborators.

Moreover, the Mediterranean pork industry depends to some extent on numerous small-scale farmers. Due to their constrained production and modest annual budgets, they lack the capacity to adopt advanced technological waste treatment. Consequently, the project seeks to assess the viability of introducing artificial wetlands as uncomplicated technologies that farmers can operate and maintain themselves. These wetlands are characterized by their low energy consumption and construction expenses.

Within the project, researchers from the IIAMA’s Nature-Based Solutions Group, including Miguel Martín, Carmen Hernández, Enrique Asensi, and Elena Alemany, are striving to implement a novel process for the sustainable valorization of slurry and the acquisition of new resources. This initiative builds upon the development and application of previously advanced projects such as LIFE19 RENATURWAT.

“We aim to procure a water source adaptable to its final attributes, and concurrently, extract solids to produce compost. This compost can serve as an organic amendment, thereby enriching agricultural soil,” emphasized the IIAMA researchers.

Furthermore, research will also delve into transforming various residues derived from wastewater and potable water treatment into products that can be used as active substrates (filter media) in subsurface flow artificial wetlands (AW) to enhance the removal of contaminants (organic matter, nutrients, emerging concern pollutants (ECPs), and pathogens, primarily) present in the liquid fraction of slurry.

“This approach offers these materials a second lease of life, capitalizing on the environmental and economic advantages stemming from their valorization,” highlighted the participating researchers.

Ultimately, the project aims to deliver efficient and innovative solutions for the sustainable management of slurry, addressing both economic and environmental perspectives.

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