MARIGREEN - Sustainable utilization of MARIne resources to foster GREEN plant production in Europe

Goal: The MARIGREEN project aims at valorising residual materials from the BLUE sector, many of them being currently poorly utilised, by treating with appropriate technologies and applying in GREEN agriculture. Significant amounts of fertilisers applicable in organic growing are required to achieve 25% organic farmland in EU by 2030, as proposed in the F2F strategy. Residual materials available from fish capture, brown algae industry, mussel industry, and organic aquaculture, provided by five Scandinavian industry partners, will be studied within the project. The materials will be chemically characterised and compounds with potential biostimulant effects on crop plants will be investigated, while concurrently checking for possible biotoxicity. The effects of these materials (untreated or treated using appropriate treatments, e.g., extraction, composting) on plant growth will be assessed. The project also includes an innovative treatment of organic fish waste from aquaculture and a study on biochar impregnation technology. Biochar, which is itself useful for soil amendment, will be used, after impregnation with extracts of BLUE materials, as a carrier of nutrients and other valuable compounds in agricultural soil. The most suitable materials (selected after chemical characterization) will be tested in real growing conditions in the greenhouse and field. The logistics and related costs required to establish a relevant value chain for producing fertilisers and/or biostimulants will be assessed by interviewing collaborating industry partners and surveying potential customers. The project will mobilize human resources across national borders to promote the skills and competencies of researchers and to create coherent dissemination actions delineating the conditions, interests, and potential opportunities in the BLUE and GREEN sectors.

• Labs:
• Oana Cristina Parvulescu's Lab
• Liliana Badulescu's Lab