Every year, the UK throws away 10.7 million tons of food—6.4 million tons of it still edible—costing the economy £21.8 billion and generating 25 million tons of CO₂ emissions. The ABROW project tackles this waste by turning inedible food scraps into bio-nutrients, a liquid fertiliser that crops can use immediately. Unlike traditional composting, which takes months, this process delivers nitrogen to plants quickly, boosting yield and quality while cutting reliance on mined mineral fertilisers. The core technology is a machine called iDigest, which converts food waste on-site at hotels or farms. A companion platform, iTracker, helps businesses monitor what they throw away and connect recovered nutrients with local growers. If successful, the project will create a local, circular system: waste from a hotel kitchen becomes fertiliser for a nearby farm within days, not seasons. A manufacturing hub in Scotland is expected to create four green jobs during the project period. The approach is designed to be replicable, offering a scalable model for reducing landfill, cutting greenhouse gas emissions from decomposing waste, and improving soil health without the environmental costs of synthetic fertilisers.
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Food wasted every year is worth over £782 Billion; generating an estimated 8--10% of global greenhouse gas emissions (food loss and waste), and it takes up the equivalent of nearly 30 per cent of the world's agricultural land (UNEP Food Waste Index Report, 2024). In the UK alone, food waste totalled 10.7 million tons in 2021, contributing 25 million tons of CO2 emissions (WRAP, 2023). This waste encompasses 6.4 million tons of edible food, costing the economy £21.8 billion annually. The Autonomous Bio-nutrient Recovery from Organic Waste (ABROW) project tackles these challenges through technological innovation and stakeholder collaboration. Central to this effort is the transformation of inedible food waste into bio-nutrients, a crucial step in creating sustainable, circular food systems. The materials produced not only reduce reliance on mineral fertilizers but also provide crops with readily available nitrogen, which can enhance crop quality and yield in shorter periods compared to traditional composting methods. **Technological Innovations** 1. Bio-Upcycling Robot - iDigest - The iDigest technology converts inedible food waste into bio-nutrients, fostering circularity by creating localized fertilizer solutions. This innovation enhances soil health, reduces landfill dependence, and mitigates GHG emissions from waste decomposition. 2. Food Tracker Platform - iTracker - Complementing iDigest, the iTracker platform monitors food waste streams, offering actionable insights to minimize edible food waste- supporting businesses in tracking sustainability metrics and optimizing waste reduction strategies while connecting the recovered bio-nutrients with local farmers. **The ABROW project leverages partnerships to ensure the success of its mission:** * University of Strathclyde supports digital manufacturing of iDigest units, ensuring scalability and reliability. * RBH Hospitality provides operational feedback, refining usability of iDigest in commercial Hospitality environments. * Craigies Farm operational feedback iDigest, refining usability of iDigest in commercial Agricultural environment. * SRUC support data analysis to measure soil health, biodiversity, and nutrient profiles when bio-nutrient from the iDigest is applied to soil for food production. **Quantifiable Impacts and Lasting Benefits** * Economic: Establishing a manufacturing hub for iDigest in Scotland will create 4 green jobs in sustainable manufacturing within the project period, aligning with Scotland's 2030 food waste reduction and net-zero goals (Scottish Government, 2022). * Environmental: Optimized bio-nutrient recovery reduces reliance on mineral fertilizers and enhances agricultural resilience. * Societal: Enhanced food security through improved soil health and reduced food waste. ABROW demonstrates a replicable, scalable approach to achieving sustainable, circular food systems through biotechnology and cross-sector collaboration, addressing global sustainability challenges while delivering local economic and environmental benefits.
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