[Project Logo]

Project acronym:   WasteBridge

Project type:   PRISM

Grant agreement No.:   HF-208

Project is funded by:   Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia (Belgrade, Serbia)

Instituions where the research is conducted:

  • University of Belgrade - Faculty of Chemistry (Belgrade, Serbia) – Project task management
  • Institut za opštu i fizičku hemiju (Belgrade, Serbia) – Coordination
  • Institut őa tehnologiju nuklearnih i drugih mineralnih sirovina (Belgrade, Serbia) – Project task management
  • Poljoprivredni fakultet (Zemun, Serbia) – Project task management
  • Institut za javno zdravlje Srbije Dr Milan Jovanović Batut (Belgrade, Serbia) – Beneficiary

Project realization is scheduled from December 1, 2023 till November 30, 2026.

Project staff

Short description of the project

WasteBridge aims to bridge the existing gaps toward ‘zero waste’ production in the fruit and vegetable processing industry (FVPI). The whole waste produced at plant “Zdravo d.o.o.”, a chosen representative company of Serbian FVPI, will be transformed by dehydration and slow pyrolysis at the small-scale industrial level into two types of stable powders, anti-grain flour (AGF) and biochar applicable in food and soil enrichment, respectively. The main project goal is to propose an innovative concept for total waste utilization at a case study level. The potential economic, environmental and social impact of concept adoption will be identified in order to support a transition towards a circular economy. Fiber-dense AGF will be obtained by dehydration of minimally processed perishable waste. Further enhancement of AGF functional properties will be achieved by fluid bed granulation. In parallel, biochar that fulfills the requirements of the European Biochar Certificate and International Biochar Initiative will be produced by slow pyrolysis of remaining, indigestible or highly processed biomass. This innovative concept designed to support the ‘zero waste’ and ‘waste to wealth’ approach will be justified by employing cost-benefit and material flow/life cycle analyses and data collected from the representative part of Serbian FVPIs. Expected WasteBridge outcomes unite economic and health benefits with environmental protection.