ECODIPTERA
Encyclopedia
ECODIPTERA project, co-financed by the European program LIFE (the Financial Instrument for the Environment), aims at showing an innovative method of treating pig manure
. The huge volume of pig manure generated across Europe, and its daily use as fertiliser for agriculture, is responsible for causing serious environmental problems.
Management and Treatment". After examining the status of the farms in the province, the possible impact on the environment was assessed. To carry out the study, the Province of Valencia financed environmental audits in all the towns of the Serranos area. The results obtained through the environmental audits highlighted the worries of the populations concerning pig farms, mainly problems with smells and pollution of groundwater
. With this information, the Province of Valencia has been working for several years in setting up the ECODIPTERA project, whose objective is to reduce the aforementioned problems through implementating the natural decomposition
processes of manure and slurry.
Bearing in mind that problems related to slurry and manure management arise not only in Spain, but the rest of the European Union
as well, the Province of Valencia will become an international reference point for resolving these problems through the ECODIPTERA project.
will be applied to achieve industrial scale decomposition.
This decomposition process will be carried out through a series of diptera
ns that are capable of transforming slurry and manure into a high quality organic fertiliser to be used for soil correction.
Among the specific objectives the following are highlighted:
made up of:
Manure
Manure is organic matter used as organic fertilizer in agriculture. Manures contribute to the fertility of the soil by adding organic matter and nutrients, such as nitrogen, that are trapped by bacteria in the soil...
. The huge volume of pig manure generated across Europe, and its daily use as fertiliser for agriculture, is responsible for causing serious environmental problems.
Background
In 1998 the Province of Valencia began a study on the condition of pig farms in the province by establishing the "Strategic Plan for SlurrySlurry
A slurry is, in general, a thick suspension of solids in a liquid.-Examples of slurries:Examples of slurries include:* Lahars* A mixture of water and cement to form concrete* A mixture of water, gelling agent, and oxidizers used as an explosive...
Management and Treatment". After examining the status of the farms in the province, the possible impact on the environment was assessed. To carry out the study, the Province of Valencia financed environmental audits in all the towns of the Serranos area. The results obtained through the environmental audits highlighted the worries of the populations concerning pig farms, mainly problems with smells and pollution of groundwater
Groundwater
Groundwater is water located beneath the ground surface in soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. A unit of rock or an unconsolidated deposit is called an aquifer when it can yield a usable quantity of water. The depth at which soil pore spaces or fractures and voids in rock...
. With this information, the Province of Valencia has been working for several years in setting up the ECODIPTERA project, whose objective is to reduce the aforementioned problems through implementating the natural decomposition
Decomposition
Decomposition is the process by which organic material is broken down into simpler forms of matter. The process is essential for recycling the finite matter that occupies physical space in the biome. Bodies of living organisms begin to decompose shortly after death...
processes of manure and slurry.
Bearing in mind that problems related to slurry and manure management arise not only in Spain, but the rest of the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
as well, the Province of Valencia will become an international reference point for resolving these problems through the ECODIPTERA project.
Objectives of the project
The main objective of the ECODIPTERA project is to implement a sustainable, alternative method for the management of slurry and manure. To do so, the natural decomposition process of biological organic matterOrganic matter
Organic matter is matter that has come from a once-living organism; is capable of decay, or the product of decay; or is composed of organic compounds...
will be applied to achieve industrial scale decomposition.
This decomposition process will be carried out through a series of diptera
Diptera
Diptera , or true flies, is the order of insects possessing only a single pair of wings on the mesothorax; the metathorax bears a pair of drumstick like structures called the halteres, the remnants of the hind wings. It is a large order, containing an estimated 240,000 species, although under half...
ns that are capable of transforming slurry and manure into a high quality organic fertiliser to be used for soil correction.
Among the specific objectives the following are highlighted:
- Introduction of a new waste managementWaste managementWaste management is the collection, transport, processing or disposal,managing and monitoring of waste materials. The term usually relates to materials produced by human activity, and the process is generally undertaken to reduce their effect on health, the environment or aesthetics...
method based on minimising farm waste at the source - Establishing an innovative model in Europe for the natural treatment of slurry and manure by taking advantage of the decomposing potential of insects
- Transforming waste into a resource in a natural, sustainable way of 70% of the waste
- Minimising the main environmental impacts: smells and pollutionPollutionPollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light...
of soil - Carrying out dissemination and environmental awareness campaigns.
- Modifying environmental legislation through the definition of by-laws for the control of slurry dumping / spillages
Participants in the project
The beneficiary of the project is the Province of Valencia, through its Environmental service. It is the leader of the ECODIPTERA project constituted by an important European consortiumConsortium
A consortium is an association of two or more individuals, companies, organizations or governments with the objective of participating in a common activity or pooling their resources for achieving a common goal....
made up of:
- Centro Iberoamericano de la Biodiversidad (CIBIO) belonging to the University of AlicanteUniversity of AlicanteThe University of Alicante was established in 1979 on the basis of the Center for University Studies , which was founded in 1968. The University main campus is located in San Vicente del Raspeig/Sant Vicent del Raspeig, bordering the city of Alicante to the north...
which specialises in the study of dipteran larvaLarvaA larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e. - Natural History Museum of Finland, integrated in the University of HelsinkiUniversity of HelsinkiThe University of Helsinki is a university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but was founded in the city of Turku in 1640 as The Royal Academy of Turku, at that time part of the Swedish Empire. It is the oldest and largest university in Finland with the widest range of disciplines available...
and which is responsible for the genetic classification of species or varieties of dipterans involved in the process. - Slovak Academy of Sciences, which has wide experience in mass breeding of dipterans and in bio-decomposition of poultryPoultryPoultry are domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of producing eggs, meat, and/or feathers. These most typically are members of the superorder Galloanserae , especially the order Galliformes and the family Anatidae , commonly known as "waterfowl"...
manure. - Fundación Comunidad Valenciana Región Europea. This non-profit organisation specialises in promoting multi-sectorial interests in the Valencian Community before the European Community organisations in Brussels.
- Ambienta: a Valencian company specialising in the management of European projects.
- Red de Municipios Valencianos hacia la Sostenibilidad, with wide experience in consultancy regarding the implementation of Local Agenda 21.