As part of the BMBF funding initiative "Agricultural Systems of the Future", scientists at SUSKULT have started in 2019 to develop an innovative cycle-based agricultural system which preserves natural resources while enabling high yields. "With the inauguration of the demonstration plant at the Emscher-Mündung wastewater treatment plant of the Emschergenossenschaft (EG), we are now taking the next step on the way to a sustainable agricultural system," says Volkmar Keuter of the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT, who coordinates the SUSKULT consortium.

The demonstration plant is situated in two sea containers and in a part of the so-called "Technikum" of the Emschergenossenschaft. The plant contains the five SUSKULT modules. Three of them process the resource wastewater into a liquid fertilizer consisting of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. In the other two, this fertilizer is used to cultivate, for example, vegetables and lettuce as well as other healthy food such as sweet potatoes and moringa. Vertical farming is used to save space and make production independent of seasons. In addition, duckweed is produced, which has a high vitamin content and can serve as a regional substitute for soy.

At the inauguration, the project consortium welcomed prominent guests from politics, research and industry. Mario Brandenburg, Parliamentary State Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, was on site, as were Dinslaken's Deputy Mayor Eyüp Yildiz, Dr. Emanuel Grün, Technical Director of the Emschergenossenschaft, Prof. Manfred Renner, Institute Director of Fraunhofer UMSICHT, and Prof. Alexander Kurz, Head of Innovation, Transfer and Utilization at the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. In their welcoming speeches they unanimously emphasized the importance of SUSKULT for future agricultural production.

The press release of SUSKULT can be found here (in German).