Project lead: Alexandros Stratakos, UWE

Project members: Nicholas Pitts, Scotch Whisky Research Institute, India Langley, LettUs Grow; Lilly Manzoni, LettUs Grow

Project summary: Anaerobic Digestors (AD) produce biogas, as well as a resultant slurry ‘digestate’ which can be rich in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium content – vital for plant growth. Digestate has been used as a fertiliser for arable crops, but it hasn’t been assessed for use in indoor farming systems. The use of digestate could reduce the demand for synthetic fertilisers (and their associated emissions) within the indoor farming sector, whilst supporting the AD sector producing biogas.

This project will examine the effectiveness of plant based and animal slurry based digestate on an indoor basil farming system. From this, growth trial results comparing the suitability of digestates versus synthetic fertiliser will be published in a peer reviewed paper in an appropriate journal, and a collaborative network of industry, academia, and growers will be enhanced in the arena of AD.