“Evritika Kellaria SA” invites you to the event titled: “Using agricultural by-products to produce organic soil improvers through composting – AgroWasteCompost”
The event will take place on Friday, June 3 at 11:00 a.m. at the “Zafeiris Ampas” Amphitheater of the School of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences of Democritus University of Thrace in Orestiada, and is organized by ena Development Consultants' new service, #enaevents.
The event was organized by #enaevents, a service of ena Development Consultants that designs and delivers corporate, educational, conference and informational events, in person, hybrid and remote, in the physical and digital world.
The project
The disposal and management of agricultural waste and food industry by-products is a major problem worldwide today. Under recent European Union directives, agricultural waste may no longer be burned in the field or taken to uncontrolled dumps or unlicensed landfill, disposal or waste treatment sites, as these sites may become a source of environmental pollution. There is also a significant risk of toxic substances passing through the food chain to humans and living organisms.
One of the most economical and environmentally friendly solutions to this problem is composting. Composting is the biological decomposition and stabilization of organic materials, either through microbial activity or through the metabolic activity of specific organisms (earthworms), resulting in a stable, odorless product that can be used as a soil improver (organic fertilizer). A characteristic of the process is its low operating and investment cost compared with other technologies.
Accordingly, the goal of the investment plan is the development of innovative technologies for using agricultural by-products (plant biomass) from wineries to produce high value-added soil improvers (organic fertilizer).
The project will test (a) microbial composting, (b) vermicomposting (Eisenia fetida or Eisenia andrei), and (c) a combination of microbial composting and vermicomposting, applying the optimal conditions determined beforehand. During composting, and at regular intervals, key system parameters will be measured (productivity, temperature, pH, conductivity, oxygen concentration and moisture), along with the chemical composition of the products (the C/N ratio and the levels of P, K, Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn), the activity of enzymes related to the metabolic activity of the microbial population (dehydrogenase) and to earthworm activity (dehydrogenase, β-glucosidase, acid phosphatase and urease), and the microbial load (total mesophilic flora, yeasts/molds, enterobacteria, coliforms, Escherichia coli, clostridia, lactic acid bacteria and Salmonella spp.), which will also be confirmed with molecular methods (PCR-DGGE and/or Next Generation Sequencing, NGS). The next step is to evaluate the effectiveness and suitability of the compost products (proof-of-concept study) by examining the germination of barley seeds after soaking in an aqueous extract of the compost product, while the compost products will also be evaluated in vine growth, measuring shoot growth and leaf dry weight.
The final stage of the project is a feasibility study, which will above all include the technological validation of the technology developed and will define its target market.
In collaboration with the Subcontractor “Laboratory of Applied Microbiology & Biotechnology” of the Department of Molecular Biology & Genetics of Democritus University of Thrace.
About the company:
At the northeasternmost point of Greece, a few dozen meters from the borders with Turkey and Bulgaria, Evritika Kellaria stands on a hill surrounded by vineyards.
This is where our well-known wines “Onar”, “Orfeas” and “Ainigma” are made, from carefully selected varieties and with a passion for quality and flavor, along with our well-known “Evritika Kellaria” retsina, made from select fruit with a rich taste, and our traditional ouzo & tsipouro, from a recipe closely guarded for the last 40 years.
Our modern plant was built in 2004, securing all European Union safety and quality certifications. In 2009, we expanded the plant with new, additional tanks and machinery, paving the way for the future and for markets abroad.
Our goal is always for the enjoyment to be “yours” and the pleasure “ours”… because that is what a quality product means.
