20 May, 2024

3F Green Model: tackling the challenges of aligning the agri-food and forestry sectors in partner countries to the European Green Deal and the EU Circular Economy Strategy.

Partners of the 3F GREEN MODEL project, including MTU's Hincks Centre and Clean Technology Centre, met in Acireale, Sicily last week to discuss the management and reuse of waste from the agricultural sector. The 3F project focuses on examining the challenges and opportunities in introducing more circular practices in the agricultural and forestry value chains.

Fiacre Muller, Hincks Centre, presenting at the 3F Project Partner Meeting, Sicily, May 2024

During the two-day meeting, attendees heard about circular success stories from our Latvian, Spanish, and Sicilian partners. Of particular interest was a presentation by Professor Francesco Sottile on the potential of almond waste not only as fertilizer but also as a construction material, further highlighting the value in what is often seen as mere waste products.

The trip also included a visit to Assoro Biometano, a biogas plant specializing in turning local citrus and olive waste into valuable biomethane. Digestate, the waste produced from biomethane production, is used to fertilize local durum wheat crops. The plant plans to further its circular credentials by installing equipment to capture and clean CO2, another byproduct of the process, for use in the food industry.

The 3F GREEN MODEL partners will reconvene in Hungary in October 2024, where the topic of managing forestry waste will be discussed.

Fiacre Muller

Hincks Centre Researcher

To learn more about project 3F Green Model, please click here.

Disclaimer: This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.