A recent workshop at the Royal Scientific Society (RSS) of Jordan in Amman marked the successful completion of the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng) Frontiers project, ‘Green Nexus: Piloting Circular Food and Energy Systems in Jordan’.
Over the last 14 months, the University of Sheffield, Royal Scientific Society and Jordanian clean-tech start-ups iPlant and Safe & Clean have co-designed, built and now commissioned a pilot plant that turns kitchen waste into both renewable biogas and liquid biofertiliser that feeds fresh hydroponic crops grown on-site; offering a practical template for circular, resource-efficient development across the region.
The modular anaerobic digestion (AD) unit installed at RSS now treats about 10 kilograms of mixed food waste each day, producing up to 1.5 cubic metres of biogas that displaces bottled Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) for cooking and winter space heating in greenhouses. The digester’s liquid wastewater is treated and dosed into a hydroponic system capable of growing a range of vegetables. Trials showed that lettuces grown with this biofertiliser achieve yields comparable to a mineral-fertiliser control, safely and with taste and texture rated positively by a tasting panel.
More than twenty stakeholders—from the Ministry of Agriculture, local universities and environmental entrepreneurs—toured the integrated plant, received a briefing on its components and operating principles, and reviewed key performance data from the trials. The workshop also explored opportunities for replication within Jordan’s landscape of biowaste management and smart agriculture. Energy Institute member Dr Davide Poggio, from the School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, who led the Green Nexus project, presented the current state of bio-waste valorisation in the UK and shared experiences with biofertiliser use.
Reflecting on the event, Davide said, “It was truly inspiring to discuss with colleagues from Jordan the tangible opportunities to decentralise food waste treatment and energy production while simultaneously producing healthy food with minimal water use and without resorting to imported synthetic fertilisers. We have been trialling similar solutions in the UK, and we are excited to continue the investigation with Jordan’s expertise in controlled environment agriculture. Ultimately, we want to create plug-and-play solutions that communities and businesses can deploy and operate with ease.”
Engineer Husameddin Alhaj Ali of RSS, co-lead of the project, added, “In collaboration with the University of Sheffield, the project showcased a validated sustainable solution in Jordan for food waste management by transforming waste into valuable resources. In particular, it investigated how the use of digestate, a by-product of anaerobic bioreactor systems, can be an effective natural fertiliser for agricultural applications, utilising the biogas produced for practical daily energy needs.”
With proof of concept now in hand, the consortium is preparing to publish the experimental results and is working on a proposal to advance commercialisation of the system, including a living lab in collaboration with a community women-led centre in Jordan.