Valorisation of by-products from agriculture and nature management: Opportunities for potting media, composting or as soil improver

Nowadays, by-products and waste from the agricultural and fisheries sectors and the related processing industries usually have only low-value applications. Nevertheless, many of these fractions could be used in higher value applications. This would lead to more efficient use of the basic resources, waste reduction and better closure of cycles of resource use. The focus of one of the four research lines in the innovative GeNeSys project is to investigate the possibilities of valorisation through composting using a transdisciplinary research approach. In addition, the intense involvement of external stakeholders (farmers, horticulturists, scientists, policymakers, etc.) will ensure development of scientifically supported as well as socially acceptable solutions for valorizing agrofood and fisheries by-products. Composting can reuse part of the biomass to create and maintain fertile and healthy soil. But the diversity and availability of feedstock materials and the composting circumstances lead to differences in the quality of the compost. Many questions about the cost efficiency, logistic and institutional limitations still remain.