R&D Project / Prisma
Innovative PRoducts with high agronomic value
from the recovery of slaughter waste
R&D PROJECT: AGRITECH
Innovative PRoducts with high agronomic value from the recovery of slaughter waste
Status: Completed
Period of reference: 6 September 2018 – 31 December 2020
Funder: POR FESR Sardegna 2014-2020
Asse I: “Ricerca Scientifica, Sviluppo Tecnologico e Innovazione”
Azione 1.2.2: Obbiettivo principale “Rafforzamento del sistema innovativo regionale e nazionale”
Abinsula Role: Participant, Task leader
Reference Personnel: Antonio Solinas
Contact:
Salvatore Pier Giacomo Rassu –pgrassu@uniss.it
Roberto Lai – rlai@uniss.it
In Sardinia, recycling processes and subsequent valorisation of waste deriving from slaughtering processes have always been rather neglected. Most of these surpluses have always been considered as a waste or a production cost, with a consequent advantage for disposal companies of the rest of Italy. Within this scenario the PRISMA project represented a model of circular economy. It was a Sardinian Regional project (POR FESR Sardegna 2014-2020 programme), coordinated by Cooperativa Produttori Arborea and involving two more companies, BioSS and Abinsula, and two research organizations, the Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Sardinia and the University of Sassari, with the Department of Agriculture and the Research Unit on Desertification.
PRISMA focused on recovering part of the slaughtering waste produced in the slaughterhouse of the Arborea Cooperative and transforming it, giving rise to new agronomic products used to improve the production performance of soil and plants. These recovery and transformation activities were based on the natural process of “earthworm composting”, whereby earthworm oligochaeta, belonging to the Eisenia genus, degraded the organic wastes distributed to them, giving rise to a completely natural fertilizer which is fully allowed in organic farming.
Abinsula was responsible for providing a monitoring system for environmental variables, such as humidity, pH and temperature, using COTS devices and experimental devices developed internally by the company. A monitoring system based on ICT technologies is therefore created both for the production of organic fertilizers from earthworm composting and for its use in agriculture. The system has been designed in such a way that all internet values can be used to control data for safety purposes.