The research project was born in Genoa EcoeFISHent, co-financed under the framework program Horizon 2020, aimed at developing upcycling e Blue Economy in the fish industry. (1)
La mission it is to enhance co-products and processing waste in different production areas, to introduce reusable boxes for fish, to recover and recycle the fishing material.
Innovation can reduce food waste upstream of distribution (food loss), reduce the environmental impact of fishing, but also create new economic and job opportunities. (2)
EcoeFISHent e Blue Economy
34 Partner from 7 countries - of which 5 EU Member States (Italy, Spain, Norway, Bulgaria and France), a country associated with the H2020 program (Israel) and a non-EU country (Kenya) - participate in the consortium EcoeFISHent, established in Genoa under the leadership of FI.LSE (Finanziaria Ligure per lo Sviluppo Economico) SpA
'Blue economy is the concept of using ocean resources in a way that respects the environment can evaluate how both business activity models and new technologies satisfy economic and environmental conditions, contributing to the sustainability of these resources'. (3)
The project , launched on 1.10.21, aims to safeguard marine ecosystems and reduce waste through technological innovation. To experimentation in pilot plants, the analytical validation of output and the verification of reproducibility, will follow the development of good practices to be shared with the social partners concerned and applied in the various sectors of the supply chain.
1) Upcycling in the fish industry
Fish processing generates numerous lateral flows and waste (e.g. skin, head, entrails), which reach 60-70% of the processed materials and are however largely destined for waste, and a lower percentage for secondary production (e.g. feed for aquaculture, petfood).
Innovative processes extraction allow to obtain numerous bioactive substances from these streams and waste (eg oils, peptides, proteins, enzymes, minerals. In addition to collagen and gelatin), which can be exploited in various sectors. (4) First of all functional foods and food supplements (nutraceuticals), drugs and cosmetics.
The residues of the extraction in turn they will be exploited to produce fertilizers for agricultural use, biodiesel and chitin. Thanks to a bioconversion process that uses the larvae of the soldier ant (Hermetia illucens), already used also as feed materials.
2) Marine litter
Marine litter, marine debris, is the set of marine litter understood as objects and materials manufactured by man and thrown - or lost, or in any case flowed - into the sea, rivers or beaches. They cause a broad spectrum of environmental and economic impacts, as well as safety and health (microplastics).
The continuous increase di use of plastic materials, often not disposed of properly and subject to very slow degradation, has made the accumulation of marine litter unsustainable, in the Mediterranean as elsewhere.
2.1) Reusable fish boxes
Reusable boxes for the transport of fish - as an alternative to those (disposable) in polystyrene - will be produced and tested, as part of the project EcoeFISHent. Using a material intended for contact with food (MOCA), already patented, biodegradable and compostable (through biodigesters).
2.2) Recovery and recycling of nets and lines
The nets and lines fishing boats abandoned at sea, known as Ghost Fishing (the 'ghosts of fishing'), are in turn the protagonists of marine litter. And the abandonment of fishing tools at sea or on the coasts, when they are no longer usable, is mainly attributed to the lack of facilities and / or incentives for their collection. (5)
I Partner of the project EcoeFISHent therefore they also work on the development of a plant model for the recovery and recycling of fishing materials, from which it is possible to obtain various consumer items, from packaging for cosmetic products to safety belts for cars. Reuse can therefore save our lives.
3) Reduction of fishing waste
EcoeFISHent it also aspires to reduce fishing waste. That is to say of those fish, object of unintentional capture, which are often released into the water with unnecessary damage to the ecosystem and waste of fish resources.
The innovation in this case it concerns the development of more selective fishing tools and systems, with the express purpose of reducing the collection of unwanted species. These tools will be tested in the Ligurian Sea, with the fishing of red shrimp.
4) knowledge sharing, social impact
Involving businesses fishing and processing industries (such as Generale Conserve, owner of AsDoMar, who also participates in the project EcoeFISHent) is essential to demonstrate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of innovation. On this basis it is possible to share knowledge and results, in a perspective of knowledge sharing, which goes beyond the traditional one of knowledge transfer, through:
- publication of data (other than those covered by industrial secrets linked to patents or exclusive authorizations),
- good practice and training manuals, aimed at encouraging the application of innovations in different contexts.
Il Partner in Kenya in turn, it will be able to promote the development of new activities, alongside traditional ones, also in low- and medium-income countries (Low and Middle Income Countries, LMIC). In the hope of contributing to the improvement of the local economy, income, food security (# SDG2).
5) Management system
The complexity of the different activities of the project EcoeFISHent suggests the adoption of management systems . The data collected through the instrumentation (Internet of Things, IoT) will then be processed with the analytical tools of big data and made accessible through a special app.
A 'digital twin' of the cluster of the project will make it possible to preliminarily evaluate the implementation of the system and identify the most suitable parameters for its concrete implementation. In view of the effective continuous monitoring of processes and the consequent optimization of operational choices.
EcoeFISHent, perspectives
Five years of work they will allow to fine-tune the activities described in the project EcoeFISHent. In a logic of Blue Economy, digitization and inclusion that is consistent with the objectives of the EU Green Deal. Indeed, it aspires to demonstrate its effectiveness and economy in one of the historic homelands of attention to savings, Liguria and its sea.
Our team by WIISE (Workable Ideas and Initiatives for a Sustainable Economy) Srl, benefit company, participates in the project to take care of the regulatory aspects, relations with stakeholders and the authorities, Data management e knowledge sharing (o diffusion).
# SDG12 (sustainable production and consumption), # SDG13 (climate actions), # SDG14 (live below water).
Dario Dongo and Andrea Adelmo Della Penna
Footnotes
(1) Dario Dongo, Andrea Adelmo Della Penna. Upcycling, the improved reuse in the agri-food chain. GIFTS (Great Italian Food Trade). 6.10.21/XNUMX/XNUMX, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/progresso/upcycling-il-reimpiego-migliorativo-nella-filiera-agroalimentare
(2) European Commission. Demonstrable and replicable cluster implementing systemic solutions through multilevel circular value chains for eco-efficient valorization of fishing and fish industries side-streams (EcoeFISHent). CORDIS. 21.9.21, https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101036428
(3) Joroff M, (2009). The Blue Economy: Sustainable industrialization of the oceans [at] Proceedings. In International Symposium on Blue Economy Initiative for Green Growth, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Korean Maritime Institute, Seoul, Korea, May 7, 2009, pp 173–181
(4) Välimaa et al. (2019). Fish and fish side streams are valuable sources of high-value components. Food Quality and Safety 3: 209-226, https://doi.org/10.1093/fqsafe/fyz024
(5) Thushari et al. (2020). Plastic pollution in the marine environment. Heliyon 6 (8): e04709, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04709
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
Graduated in Food Technologies and Biotechnologies, qualified food technologist, he follows the research and development area. With particular regard to European research projects (in Horizon 2020, PRIMA) where the FARE division of WIISE Srl, a benefit company, participates.
