Life+Ecocitric

In this post, we present to you the interesting project being carried out by one of our technological partners, Vermon Group, which has been part of the project since June 2014 Life+Ecocitric (Citric Waste Integrated Management Ecocitric), Integrated Citrus Waste Management, working in collaboration with other partners (Vall d'Uixó City Council, Valencian Farmers Association, Jaume I-Empresa University Foundation and Heliotec 2006, SL)

The Life + Ecocitric project, led by the City Council of Vall d'Uixó, has as its objective demonstrate the technical, economic and environmental viability of a new system for the comprehensive use of agricultural waste from the pruning of citrus fruits in the whole of the municipality of La Vall d'Uixó

The actions in which Grupo Vermon participates are essential for the start-up, development and monitoring of the project, allowing conclusions to be drawn during the life of the project, allowing for correction, and obtaining better solutions and, once completed, concluding on the results obtained.

Vermon Group participates with the development of this and other actions of the project, in collaboration with the rest of the partners in order to meet its general objectives:

1. Solving the problem of agricultural waste in citrus fields
2. Reduction of CO2 emissions caused by field incineration practices
3. Obtaining by-products with high added value for different markets from waste
4. Planning of agricultural land through the use of GIS technology
5. Lay the foundations for future ordinances and regulations that promote waste management and prevent waste burning
6. Demonstrative effect to promote replicability in other territories

The citrus sector is one of the most important in the Spanish economy, and it is not for nothing that Spain produces more than 6.5 million tons of citrus fruits, which represents almost 6% of world production.

The largest producer in the Mediterranean countries and also in Europe is Spain with 6,627,000 tons.

The world's largest citrus exporter is Spain with more than 3,500,000 tons followed a long distance from Turkey with 1,236,000 tons. The region of Mediterranean countries exports almost 70% of all citrus fruits in the Northern Hemisphere and 57% of total world exports. (FAO.2012)

The value of Spanish citrus production for the fresh market amounts to about 3 billion euros per year, which represents a very important contribution to the Spanish trade balance.

Exports are the key element for the survival of the Spanish citrus sector, since between 40% and 60% of the total production of oranges is sold outside our borders, while in the case of tangerines these percentages are between 60% and 80%.

As for the destinations of Spanish citrus exports, it can be said that Europe constitutes its main market, with sales figures between 3 million and 3.5 million tons, depending on the campaigns. Germany (with more than 800,000 tons), France (720,000 tons), the United Kingdom (240,000 tons), the Netherlands (231,000 tons) and Poland (225,000 tons) appear as the main destination markets. It should be noted that another 300,000 tons of citrus fruits are exported to countries outside the European Union, including the United States (61,000 tons), Russia (60,000 tons) and Switzerland (57,000 tons).

Imports are significantly lower, around 150,000 tons, and are concentrated in the summer months, when there is no citrus production in our country. The main suppliers of citrus to the Spanish market are Argentina (66,000 tons), Uruguay (22,000 tons) and Brazil (12,000 tons).

However, there are numerous aspects of crop management, with a high margin for improvement, such as the existing problem with pruning debris. At present, citrus pruning involves a large volume of plant debris that must be eliminated. The most used methods are burning or crushing, burning being a dangerous and aggressive task from an environmental point of view (CO2 emissions to the atmosphere and potential risk of fire). In addition, disposal by shredding is usually not managed efficiently and therefore pruning debris is not used correctly.

The ECOCITRIC project provides innovative solutions to this waste in obtaining by-products with high added value for different markets from waste.

There are also other positive environmental effects derived from the project, such as

1. Agricultural land use planning through the use of GIS technology. (ECOCITRIC application)

Grupo Vermon, has developed the ECOCITRIC Application, which aims to visualize the data obtained from the Ecocitric project, allowing it to be updated according to the information provided by agricultural cooperatives, warehouses and inquiries to the farmers themselves.

Ecocitric has been developed so that it can be used through a web browser, without the need to carry out installations on each of the user's computers. This allows each user to access the application simply using a username and password.

For the visualization of the maps, the free version of the Google Maps API has been used. In addition to the different options offered by this API, the possibility of integrating it with third-party applications has also been taken into account in order to further expand its possibilities. The different vector layers provided by SIGPAC have been loaded onto this API, using free-to-use libraries, and by making certain adaptations, a truly precise integration has been achieved. Thanks to these layers, we can see represented on the map the different polygons, plots and enclosures that are covered in the project.

The main features of the application are:

• Agricultural Map Search: We can search the toolbar by Polygon, Plot and Precinct, obtaining the corresponding information from SigPac, of any enclosure, regardless of its use. With the option of including the satellite photo or map from Google Maps.
• Search for data associated with the map: Searching for data allows you to perform, as before from the map, an advanced search by polygon, obtaining the results of the search in the format of a list of data at the venue level.
• Advanced search, where we can make specific queries per site based on those of the project (SigPac Use, Variety, Irrigation, Destination, Waste, Harvest Range (Kg), Surface Range (m2), Perimeter Range (ml).
• Access to configuration, for modifying crop plot data: Updating the data is essential both for the proper development of the project and for the daily management of cooperatives and agricultural warehouses. Having up-to-date information makes it easier for them to manage and makes it more efficient.
• Access to routes and routes, of plots included in said route, by means of a QR code: Specific software for calculating routes and routes. Where possible logistics routes are established based on better waste management, taking into account the data acquired in the previous actions of the project and taking into account the moments of pruning, location and transport routes.

2. Obtaining by-products with high added value for different markets based on a by-product

This is the most innovative aspect of the project, where the following products are obtained from fruit tree waste: (Essential oil, Animal feed, foliar fertilizer, cattle litter and biofuel)

3. Demonstrative effect for replicability in other territories: The subject of the project will be the possibility of implementing a novel system for managing agricultural waste in other places and territories of Spain and the European Union.