Conference Agenda

On-farm water reuse offers a pathway toward circular resource management in agricultural operations, yet system performance is sensitive to climatic variability. This work investigates the simulated behaviour of a compact Free Water Surface (FWS) Constructed Wetland (CW) system polishing pre-treated effluent from a dairy farm for operational reuse. A three-cell wetland configuration (600 m² total area) was modelled using established removal kinetics driven by ten years of meteorological data, capturing the influence of temperature, precipitation, evapotranspiration, and hydraulic retention time. Seasonal variability affected treatment performance, with warm conditions enhancing organic matter and nitrogen removal, while colder and low-flow periods increased effluent concentrations. Phosphorus removal exhibited weaker thermal sensitivity and was considered the primary design constraint. Nevertheless, the wetland configuration achieved effluent quality levels consistent with Directive 2024/3019. Overall, the results demonstrates that climate-driven simulation provides a practical tool for CW design, supporting sustainable water reuse and regulatory compliance.

Urea fertilizer is one of the most widely used nitrogen (N) fertilizers worldwide because of its high nitrogen (46%N) content. However, urea is highly soluble and dissolves rapidly, which can lead to environmental sustainability and plant uptake challenges. In this study, enhanced fertilizers, namely densified urea granules (urea + gums) and urea-gypsum cocrystal(URCASU), were evaluated and compared with commercial urea and environmentally smart nitrogen (ESN) fertilizers for nitrogen leaching in clay loam soil. The fertilizer granules were placed in moist soil (32% moisture) and incubated for 28 days. The undissolved fertilizer was then removed from the soil and used for leaching profile studies in a flow-cell experimental setup. Leachate from the cell was collected periodically at specific intervals for quantifying total leached N. The amount of N leached from the soil varied by treatment: market urea leached 120 mg N/kg of soil, ESN leached 80 mg N/kg, URCASU leached 25 mg N/kg, and urea combined with gums leached 18 mg N/kg of soil. The results showed that the two enhanced fertilizers, urea+gums and URCASU, leached N more slowly than market urea and ESN. This finding indicates that urea+gums and URCASU are more environmentally sustainable fertilizers.

Agricultural residues remain an underused bioenergy resource, where maize and millet are among the most widely available cereal by‑products in Ghana. Their contrasting fibre and lignin profiles, suggest different pelletisation behaviours and energy requirements. This work presents a short‑term experimental programme aimed at characterising how matrix compression length and pelletiser speed affect the quality of pellets produced from maize and millet stover using a experimental pelletisation prototype. Three matrices (22, 26, 30 mm) and four operating speeds (115, 155, 195, 230 rpm) were tested for bulk density and durability. The results confirm that maize, characterised by moderate lignin content and favourable fibre structure, achieved stable densification and high pellet integrity under medium matrix lengths and intermediate speeds. In contrast, millet, structurally more brittle and with lower binding capacity, required higher operating speeds or longer matrices to reach mechanical durability levels comparable to maize. Across both residues, longer matrices increased torque demand and internal die temperature, reinforcing the importance of balancing compaction intensity with energy consumption, particularly for low‑cost rural pelletisation systems. These findings provide a practical optimisation framework for selecting matrix–speed combinations suited to two abundant residues with distinct pelletability profiles, supporting small‑scale pellet fuel production in CIRAWA target regions.

Resource recovery practices within urban drainage management systems and upstream paved catchments can significantly reduce loads of particulate matter (PM), detritus and chemicals. Results illustrate a decade-long case study to provide load credits across Florida (USA) to municipalities for quantifiable maintenance practices used in regulatory basin management action plans for chemicals (nutrients) and PM. Fourteen (14) MS4s (municipal separate storm sewer systems) participated. Hydrologic functional units (HFUs) were structural best management practices (BMPs), paved area street sweepings (SS), and catch basins (CBs). HFUs were sampled for three land uses: highway (H), commercial (C) and residential (R). Data and results were developed and categorized based on HFU and land use for nitrogen (N, as TN), phosphorus (P, as TP) and PM. While results indicate differences between HFUs and between land uses, metrics of TN and TP were consistently log-normally distributed. This observation was important for allocation of load credits based on HFU categories or land use categories. Results indicate that recovery practices, per dry mass of nutrient [mg/kg] or PM, were approximately two orders of magnitudes more economical than costs associated with BMPs to recover the same mass. Participating MS4s have documented millions of USD savings annually from these practices.

VALPRO Path project utilized a network of five Innovative Production Systems (IPSs) designed as multi-actor, regionally adapted living labs to evaluate and demonstrate how Europe can transition toward sustainable, circular, and competitive land-based protein crop value chains. The IPS integrated real environments connecting farming with advanced processing technologies, digital tools, and multi-stakeholder co‑creation to validate new pathways for producing plant proteins destined primarily for food markets. The work demonstrated that varietal selection, aligned with technologies with efficient resource use, may provide great potential for decentralized technologies, with high potential to add value, reduce waste and simultaneously improve profitability. Acting as demonstration environments, the IPSs generate the data and insights required to co-design new business models, assess economic and environmental performance, and support decision‑making tools for farmers, processors, and policymakers.

P2GreeN, a four-year Horizon Europe project focusing on closing the chain between farm and fork for cyclical nutrient flows. It will test and adapt the use of human sanitary waste to produce safe, bio-based fertilizers for agriculture, which will replace fertilizers of mineral origin. It is testing three innovative nutrient recycling technologies in Germany, Spain and Sweden. The pilot sites have been carefully selected as they demonstrate the link between urban (fork) and rural (farm) communities. Additionally, it is investigating the potential of replication in four follower regions one of which is the region of Karditsa, part of Greece’s agricultural powerhouse, the Thessalian plain.

This paper explores the feasibility of wastewater reuse from the conventional wastewater treatment plant of the city of Karditsa to irrigate nearby crops. Eight different scenarios have been developed, including nature-based systems for tertiary treatment and Bioazul’s technology for reuse, to irrigate crops such as maize and cotton. Preliminary results indicate that by installing ten units of Bioazul’s technology, an area of between 5 and 6 hectares can be fertirrigated, covering between 75% and 100% of N requirements, depending on the type of crop, thus leading to savings for farmers in both water and fertiliser costs.