Mapping What Works: FERTITEC at ManuREsource 2026, Wageningen

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Text and Photo © 2026 CM Cordeiro

About ManuREsource

ManuREsource is an international conference dedicated to the exchange of knowledge and experience among researchers, policymakers, industry actors, and farmers on the policy measures, technologies, and valorisation strategies associated with livestock manure management. Organised by the Flemish Coordination Centre for Manure Processing (VCM), Ghent University, and Inagro, the conference series has grown steadily since its first edition in 2013 into one of Europe’s foremost gatherings in the field of circular nutrient management.

The conference rotates between Belgium and the Netherlands, reflecting the close collaboration between Flemish and Dutch expertise in addressing manure surplus challenges. Recent editions include:

Edition Year Location
4th 2019 Hasselt, Belgium
5th 2021/2022 ’s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands
6th 2024 Antwerp, Belgium
7th (current) 2026 Ede/Wageningen, the Netherlands

Each edition has built on the last, broadening its scope from manure surplus management to encompass innovations in treatment technology, nutrient recovery, valorisation for energy and food production, regulatory policy, and sustainability assessment. The 2026 edition, held 4–5 March at Hotel Reehorst in Ede/Wageningen, with an optional field trip on 6 March to local manure processing installations, continued this tradition under the central theme: manure as a resource.

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Bridging the Gap from Pilots to Practice in Circular Water Management

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Abstract

A new study published in Frontiers in Earth Science presents a data-driven framework for understanding how circular water technologies can successfully transition from pilot projects to widespread regional implementation. Using computational text analysis of 372,856 tokens from EU policy documents, practitioner forums, and five Interreg Baltic Sea Region projects, the research identifies three critical coordination mechanisms, structural, knowledge, and temporal, that enable effective governance-technology integration across multiple scales. The findings reveal a temporal shift in practitioner discourse from technical optimization toward strategic governance framing, highlighting the importance of adaptive coordination processes in scaling circular water innovations.

Addressing a Critical Challenge in Environmental Governance

The Baltic Sea Region has emerged as a major arena for circular water innovation, with EU investment exceeding €20.5 million in recent years. Yet despite technically successful pilots, moving from demonstration projects to broader regional implementation remains challenging. Our newly published research tackles this persistent ”pilot-to-practice” problem by examining how governance and technology integration is actually framed, discussed, and implemented across policy, practitioner, and project contexts.

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Digital tools for nutrient value chain management in circular wastewater and manure systems

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As dairy farms move toward more data-driven nutrient management, near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is emerging as a practical tool. It enables rapid, non-destructive analysis of slurry nutrients directly on-farm, reducing the need for frequent laboratory testing.

However, one key challenge is often underestimated, temperature. Slurry in barns, tanks, and lagoons rarely stays at a constant temperature. It changes with seasons, time of day, and position in the manure management chain. These fluctuations can distort NIR spectra and, if not properly understood, lead to unreliable nutrient predictions.

A recent article in Microchemical Journal by Wang et al. (2025) addresses this issue using advanced spectral methods to examine how temperature reshapes the NIR signature of dairy slurry and what this means for real-time sensing in practice.

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How Microalgae Combat Antibiotic Resistance in Wastewater

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Microalgae-based wastewater treatment

Our new study, now published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, reveals promising insights into using microalgae to tackle one of agriculture’s most pressing environmental challenges: the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in livestock wastewater.

The Challenge

Nearly 55% of antibiotics used in China are applied in livestock farming, creating a major pathway for antibiotic resistance genes to enter the environment through farm wastewater. These genes pose serious risks to ecosystems and human health, making their removal from wastewater a critical priority. Similar risks are emerging in aquaculture, where high-nutrient effluents containing antibiotic residues and resistance genes threaten surrounding waters, highlighting the need for robust, nature-based treatment solutions across both terrestrial and aquatic production systems.

An Innovative Approach

Our international research team, including collaborators from RISE Research Institutes of Sweden and China’s Agro-Environmental Protection Institute (AEPI) under China´s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA), investigated how the microalga Chlorella pyrenoidosa responds to environmental stressors while treating dairy farm wastewater. Specifically, we examined the combined effects of lead stress and gibberellin (a plant hormone) stimulation on microalgal performance, bacterial communities, and ARG removal.

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Microalgae and EPS for Mitigating Antibiotic Resistance in Livestock Wastewater

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Antibiotic resistance is one of the most pressing challenges in both environmental and public health domains. A growing body of research is exploring nature-based solutions to mitigate the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), particularly in agricultural systems. A new study published in Bioresource Technology contributes to this field by examining the potential of microalgae and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) to reduce ARGs in livestock wastewater.

🔗 Read the full article: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2025.132622

Overview of the Study

The research, led by Xiaoyu Xu and a multidisciplinary team from China and Sweden, investigates the interactions between algae and EPS and their role in mitigating the spread of ARGs in contaminated livestock water. As the agricultural sector is a known hotspot for antibiotic use and discharge, developing effective treatment strategies is both urgent and impactful.

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Circular Economy for Nutrients in the Baltic Sea Region

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Once in decline due to persecution and pollution, cormorants have rebounded across the Baltic Sea since the 1980s thanks to legal protection, cleaner waters, and healthier fish stocks, now breeding widely along the coasts of Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Estonia, Latvia, and Poland.

In our recent contribution to Baltic Rim Economies (BRE, Issue #2, April 2025), Erik Sindhøj and I outlined current challenges and opportunities in implementing a circular economy for nutrients in the Baltic Sea Region (BSR). The article, part of a series curated by The Centrum Balticum Foundation, reflects ongoing efforts within the Interreg-funded CiNURGi project and the broader framework of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR). Continue reading ”Circular Economy for Nutrients in the Baltic Sea Region” →

The Decline of Fertilizer Use in Europe: Policy, Markets, and the Shift to Sustainability

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Knowledge graph visualization for this blog was generated using InfraNodus, which mapped thematic clusters such as ”fertilizer”, ”nutrient”, ”agriculture”, and ”regulation” from EU forecast reports.

Fertilizers have long been essential for European agriculture, ensuring high yields and supporting food security. However, recent forecasts from Fertilizers Europe predict a steady decline in fertilizer use across the European Union (EU). This shift is influenced by evolving environmental policies, market conditions, and agricultural practices. Analyzing the Forecast of Food, Farming, and Fertilizer Use in the European Union reports from 2017 to 2031 reveals the multiple drivers behind this downward trend.

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Advancing Circular Nutrient Recycling: CiNURGi’s Progress in the Baltic Sea Region

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Text and Photo: CM Cordeiro, Centrum Balticum © 2024

As part of our commitment to sustainability and innovation, we’re excited to share updates from CiNURGi, a collaborative project aimed at advancing circular nutrient recycling solutions across the Baltic Sea Region (BSR). Led by RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, CiNURGi brings together 24 partners and 13 associated organizations across eight BSR countries to tackle nutrient management challenges while supporting regional and European sustainability goals. Read more on our first external newsletter here.

Key Highlights from Our First Year
Participation in the EUSBSR Annual Forum 2024

At the EUSBSR Annual Forum in Visby, Sweden, CiNURGi engaged policymakers, researchers, and industry leaders in discussions on nutrient recycling, reducing nutrient runoff, and creating market conditions for circular economy solutions. The project emphasized alignment with the EUSBSR Policy Area Nutri goals and contributed to dialogues shaping sustainable regional development. Continue reading ”Advancing Circular Nutrient Recycling: CiNURGi’s Progress in the Baltic Sea Region” →

Showcasing CiNURGi at the EUSBSR Annual Forum 2024: Fostering a Circular Economy for Nutrients in the Baltic Sea Region

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At the EUSBSR Annual Forum 2024, Visby, Gotland, Sweden.
Text & Photo © CM Cordeiro & , E Sindhöj 2024

At the end of October, I had the opportunity to attend the 15th Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) in Visby, Gotland. This year’s forum brought together over 500 stakeholders, including policymakers, industry representatives, and researchers, all focused on advancing the sustainability, resilience, and security of the Baltic Sea Region. Set against the historical backdrop of Visby, with its UNESCO-recognized medieval architecture, the forum provided both an inspiring and ideal setting for discussing sustainable regional development.

As co-lead for the EU Interreg BSR core project CiNURGi, my goal was to showcase our work on developing a circular economy for nutrients in the region. CiNURGi is an EU Interreg BSR core project dedicated to enhancing nutrient recovery from various resource streams, including agricultural, municipal, and industrial sources. By upgrading current infrastructure and technology, we aim to increase nutrient recovery efficiency and promote the adoption of recycled fertilizer products. In a region facing significant environmental challenges due to nutrient leakage and eutrophication, CiNURGi’s mission aligns well with the EUSBSR’s broader goals of sustainability and environmental protection.

Continue reading ”Showcasing CiNURGi at the EUSBSR Annual Forum 2024: Fostering a Circular Economy for Nutrients in the Baltic Sea Region” →