The second day of the BIOREGIO 5th interregional event focusing on Biofuels and Agricultural Innovation was dedicated to site visits related to bio-based circular economy. The day started with a brief tour and introduction of the Slovak University of Agriculture including activities of the AgroBioTech Research Centre.
Afterwards, participants had the opportunity to visit different sites in the Nitra Region. First stop was the Biogas station at the University farm in the municipality of Kolíňany, which was designed to process manure and other types of feedstocks to produce heat and electricity. In the frame of other international projects, the Slovak University of Agriculture has started explorations of the efficiency of various substrate types on this plant.
Figure 1. Fermentors for small-scale testing at the University farm in Kolínany. (Photo: Katerina Medkova)
The second visited site was the wastewater treatment plant of the Nitra city. It works on the mechanical and biological principle of wastewater treatment and annually treats more than 13 million cubic meters of wastewater.
Figure 2. The wastewater treatment plat of Nitra city with biogas production. (Photo: Katerina Medkova)
In the afternoon, the participants moved to visit the ENVI-GEOS Nitra waste management company, where plastic recycling was demonstrated. After this the group got familiar with the waste management facility in the municipality Lužianky operated by the Association of municipalities for the separate waste collection of the Ponitrie region and focused on separate waste collection. The Association works on the reduction of the amount of landfilled municipal waste by separating its components, especially the biowaste. Activities of the Associations also represent a regional example of good practice identified in the BIOREGIO project (https://www.interregeurope.eu/bioregio/good-pratices/ Separate Collection and Recovery of Biodegradable Waste).
At the end of the day, the BIOREGIO group visited the Distillery in Jelšovce. The distillery is equipped with state-of-the-art technology based on the modern way of distillation using the latest knowledge in the technological process. Waste management is also ensured in a sustainable way, in cooperation with the local farmers.
