News
– The project will boost the sustainability and competitiveness of the pig sector by recovering water and obtaining high-value agronomic products
– The products obtained, including phosphorus salts and digestate, will be used as value-added sustainable fertilisers
The livestock sector is a fundamental pillar of Spain’s agri-food system and plays a key role in the economy and employment of rural areas. However, it faces significant environmental and operational challenges associated with slurry management. Traditionally used as organic fertilisers due to their nutrient content, inadequate management can contribute to water pollution and generate additional costs for farms.
In response to these challenges, AQUAPUR has been launched, a supra-regional Operational Group that will improve slurry management through innovative technological solutions adapted to the characteristics of different farms and territorial contexts, helping to increase the sustainability, competitiveness and resilience of the livestock sector.
AQUAPUR will address the needs of the livestock sector in Galicia, Catalonia and Aragon, with the aim of recovering up to 70% of the water contained in slurry for reuse on the farms themselves and obtaining products with agronomic value, such as phosphorus salts and digestate, for use as sustainable fertilisers.
Over the next three years, and with a grant of more than half a million euros, AQUAPUR will combine the application of established and emerging technologies for slurry treatment with innovative technologies for obtaining fertiliser products, first in pilot plants and subsequently on livestock farms.
Cetaqua-Water Technology Centre, the coordinating entity of AQUAPUR, will focus its activities on assessing treatment technologies already implemented on livestock farms and demonstrating, under real operating conditions, innovative solutions to recover nutrients and obtain new resources for agriculture.
According to Alicia González-Míguez, the researcher responsible for the project at Cetaqua, “AQUAPUR aims to generate useful knowledge and data for the eight farms directly participating in the project, but also for the livestock sector as a whole. We want to demonstrate that it is possible to move towards more circular and sustainable farms through innovative solutions that improve slurry management while reducing impacts such as groundwater pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.”
In addition to demonstrating innovative technologies, AQUAPUR will analyse the quality and safety of the recovered resources, taking into account aspects such as the presence of pathogens, pharmaceuticals and veterinary antibiotics. Since small and medium-sized farms may face greater difficulties in adapting to environmental and regulatory requirements, the solutions will be assessed considering the characteristics and needs of each farm and territory, with the aim of generating recommendations to help identify the most suitable alternatives in each case.
The project will also carry out dissemination and knowledge transfer activities aimed at livestock farmers, technical staff and other stakeholders in the agricultural and livestock sector, in order to facilitate the future application and replication of the solutions, promote knowledge exchange between territories and transfer the results and lessons learned to the Spanish livestock sector as a whole.
The AQUAPUR Operational Group brings together organisations with complementary profiles in the fields of research, technology, livestock production and knowledge transfer: Cetaqua-Water Technology Centre (coordinator), Fundación Empresa Universidad Gallega (FEUGA), BETA Tech Centre (Fundació Universitària Balmes), Composmont (Grupo Serentill), Nutrimentos Deza S.A. (NUDESA), Spanish Cluster of Pig Producers (i+Porc) and Fundació Institut Català de Recerca de l’Aigua (ICRA).
The AQUAPUR project is framed within the 2023–2027 Common Agricultural Policy Strategic Plan (PEPAC), funded 80% by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) of the European Union and 20% by the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA). The Directorate-General for Rural Development, Innovation and Agri-food Training (DGDRIFA) is the authority responsible for implementing this funding. Total project budget: €520,433.30. Total grant: €520,433.30.
The AQUAPUR Operational Group is responsible for this content.
