GICON is part of the abonoCARE® Regional Growth Core Alliance
Combined innovative strength for the economic utilization of organic residual materials
GICON participates in a joint project started in 2019, a so-called Regional Growth Core Alliance. Its name, abonoCARE®, is synonymous with the utilization of previously lost nutrients and thus focused on the protection of the environment and valuable raw material resources. Under the slogan "organic residues to advanced nutrients", the project aims to develop technologies and services for the recovery of high-quality special fertilizer products from disposal-critical organic residues such as sewage sludge, liquid manure and fermentation products and to achieve international technological market leadership in this field. abonoCARE® is part of the funding program "Innovative regional growth cores" of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Project Funding Number 03WKDI3B) and consists of 18 project partners who offer a modular, combinable, highly efficient technology chain for the fermentation of organic residues with integrated nutrient fractionation.
Within the framework of the project, GICON will further develop its own technology approaches to commercial readiness as well as participate in the link-up of various individual technologies provided of the project partners. GICON also contributes its extensive experience as a planner of plants for the production of biogas from various organic residues and wastes. GICON Managing Director Dr. Hagen Hilse: "The terms recycling economy and sustainability have become increasingly important. There is still great potential for optimization in the recycling of organic residues, such as biowaste or green waste. Too many nutrients contained in organic waste, which could be used as fertilizer in agriculture, are lost with today's disposal and recycling methods. We want to make use of this untapped economic potential".
Since establishing the company 25 years ago, investment in research and development of new technologies have been part of the GICON philosophy. A significant part of GICON's research activities takes place in the field of biogas technology. The company's location in Cottbus offers ideal conditions for this. In the company's own pilot plant in Cottbus at a technical center of 450 m², biogas research is conducted at the highest level: individual technology development, process optimization and testing of substrates at customer request are possible. Both areas, research and bioenergy, are central components of the new joint project, of which GICON is a founding member.
In addition to its core competence in biogas technology, GICON owns and develops know-how for the optimized material recycling of non-fermentable fractions, including processes for the simultaneous removal of impurities and heavy metals in the fermentation process, for the separation of nitrogen and phosphorus compounds from biogas plants and for the targeted removal of nutrients in connection with the optimization of the fertilizer properties of fermentation products.
GICON is part of the Alliance’s management
Dr. Hagen Hilse, responsible for Research & Technology Development at GICON, is also a member of the growth core alliance management. "Finding innovative solutions, developing and combining new technologies and processes and looking beyond the horizon are the strengths of GICON. We also want to cover this role in the growth core alliance." The "Innovative Regional Growth Core Alliance" funding program is aimed at regional co-operation initiatives in eastern Germany that have unique competencies and key technologies. From the outset, the aim has been to promote joint activities in a clearly defined area of competence and to direct them towards commercialization. In the long term, the growth cores shall develop innovative products that are successful on the market and grow the regional supply chain and as well as economic development.
Background: what does "abonoCARE®" mean?
The focus on nutrient recycling of organic residues is expressed in the name abonoCARE®: the Spanish "abono" stands for "fertilizer" - the synonym for the necessary nutrient supply in modern agriculture for food security. "CARE" stands for the claim to make previously unused nutrient components usable. With their respective solutions, all project partners not only relieve the environment by solving a disposal problem, but also reduce the required amount of new raw phosphate and thus the environmental impact associated with mining in and transport from countries worldwide.