(NOMINATION FOR 2014 AUREA AWARD): Eko fungi - Production of edible mushrooms using cellulosic remains

In June 2013, Belgrade-based Eko fungi started the industrial production of oyster mushrooms using a new technology that utilizes waste in the production of substrates (nutritional base) for the growing of cellulosic mushrooms and reduces electricity consumption by as much as 90%. This is the first such plant in Serbia and the rest of the world. Production of cellulosic varieties of cultivated fungi (oyster, shiitake, etc.) is traditionally based on the use of straw as raw material for substrate production. Aside from becoming more and more unavailable, the costs of transportation of straw and the electricity consumed in its production have increased significantly.

Eko fungi's new facility for producing substrates uses any cellulosic material that can be purchased within the radius of 30 kilometers. No similar project involving the production of waste-based substrates for the growing of edible mushrooms of industrial proportions has been implemented elsewhere in the world to date. Besides, with the use of microbiological method, the power of microorganisms is utilized instead of heating fuel, which eliminates the use of electrical energy.

The idea behind this project is that the waste as such ceases to exist, so that the used substrate can be fed to cattle or reused as an organic fertilizer. In addition, this kind of production can also find its application at small farms across Serbia and, thus, employ a large number of households.

The new plant opened by Eko fungi has a production capacity of about 30 tonnes of edible mushrooms a year, that is, it processes about 50 tonnes of cellulosic waste annually.

The new model of production of cellulosic varieties of fungi and the technology that is adaptable to available resources have attracted the attention of multiple invididuals from all parts of Europe, who are interested in acquiring and applying them, which is seen as a possibility of developing the business additionally through the transfer of technology. Letters of intent and first agreements have already been signed.

INNOVATION

An expert team of the Eko fungi company has developed an innovative plant for producing substrates for growing edible mushrooms that utilizes any cellulosic waste as raw material and reduces electricity consumption by 90%.

Production of substrates (nutritional base) for growing edible cellulosic fungi is usually preceded by thermal processing of cellulosic material, primarily straw, and traditionally requires a large consumption of electrical energy. The problem of such production has become insoluble from the aspect of very procurement of the raw material that is getting scarcer and scarcer given the utilization of straw in other technologies. Another problem of the old production technology lies in much too big costs of transportation of straw which is so bulky and light that it could not have been transported to mushroom growers in a cost-efficient way.

Knowing the biology of these varieties and particularly their physiology and nutritional characteristics, the team of Eko fungi experts designed a plant that can utilize any cellulosic material available within the radius of 30 kilometers from the production facility: old paper, coffee residues from an espresso or filter coffee machine, sawdust, etc., as a replacement for straw in the production of substrates. The idea was put to the test on a small scale with the use of over 100 different kinds of organic and non-organic waste, and it was proved that anything containing cellulose can provide food to mushrooms and, thus, ensure their successful growth. Apart from being very simple, this project involving the use of waste in the production of substrates for edible mushrooms of real industrial proportions also has no precedent anywhere in the world.

After the new plant was finished, a new challenge emerged in tackling the problem of enormous energy consumption (due to a high energy price that has doubled in the meantime). Once again, using their knowledge of biology and the logic of nature, the experts of Eko fungi came up with a model that cuts energy consumption by about 90%. They eliminated the use of electricity and applied a microbiological method – instead of heating fuel, the power of microorganisms is used to achieve the parameters that are necessary to ensure an adequate quality of substrates for growing oyster mushrooms.

This new technology for preparing substrates for growing cellulosic edible mushrooms on such a large scale was tested and it gave excellent results, which opened the way for the Eko fungi cooperative in Padinska Skela to start the industrial production of oyster mushrooms in June 2013.

One shift produces 3 tonnes of substrates a week, meaning that 12 tonnes are produced weekly, which is enough to produce about 2.5 tonnes of oyster mushrooms a month.

This project was prepared in cooperation with the Belgrade Faculty of Agriculture and Institute for Biological Research. The innovation is patented, and the project by Eko fungi is one of 100 examples described in a publication by Blue Economy (ZERI) which promotes the examples of industrial production that can be started quickly and cheaply and are based on the same principles that Eko fungi advocates.

SOCIAL UTILITY

Production of quality food, such as edible mushrooms, with a possibility of achieving profitable production is a significant aspect of this innovation which is industrialized. Production of waste-based substrates for growing edible cellulosic fungi represents a new model and approach to the recycling of cellulosic materials. Although some of this waste, primarily old paper, has its own market, other waste, such as coffee residues from an espresso or filter coffee machine and sawdust, doesn't have an adequate place in the market when available in insufficient quantities for production (e.g. briquettes for heating, river waste collected by hydroelectric power stations, park waste).

After being used, substrates can be reused as food for cattle or as raw material in the production of quality fertilizer for greenhouse production thanks to the abundance of proteins and nutrients they have. The project thus confirms that there is no such thing as waste (from waste to taste) and that all the 'waste' from a production process can become a raw material for some other process.

The technology developed under this project ensures energy savings of as much as 90% when compared to the standard technology of production of oyster and related mushrooms. Besides, the widening of the spectrum of used waste eliminates excessive costs of transportation of raw materials because the choice is limited to available materials in the immediate surroundings. Eko fungi collects some of these raw materials in local schools, thus symbolically creating a relationship towards both living and working environment and determining the model of recycling which results in quality food.

As the country enters the process of joining the EU, requirements related to the preservation of natural resources are becoming stricter, and so is the collecting and export of forest fruits. The new technology developed by Eko fungi guarantees standardized production and can also be applied at small farms, which could generate a revenue for certain part of the population and bring about new jobs. The expert team of Eko fungi led by Ivanko Milenkovic has given lectures on this model of production across Serbia. Thanks to its project, Eko fungi attracts MA students from all over the world, who believe that the future of global economy lies in the use of available resources.

The work of Eko fungi, which is engaged in primary agricultural production, is based on highly educated management and a close cooperation with science. Eko fungi employs 3 experts who created the patented technology, while the production is carried out within the namesake cooperative with partner companies employing 12 people. The estate of the Eko fungi cooperative is also used for experiments carried out on a regular basis by the students of the Faculty of Agriculture in Belgrade.

FINANCIAL POTENTIAL

Industrial production of cellulosic varieties of fungi with the use of waste began June 2013 at Eko fungi's plant in Padinska Skela, and the technology applied in that plant has ensured its profitability thanks to large energy savings. For the first time in Serbia, there is a company that continuously produces oyster mushrooms which have so far been produced only in the spring and the autumn.

During the trial production of industrial proportions, the market was offered 20 tonnes of fresh oyster mushrooms and about 2 tonnes of poplar mushrooms which are isolated from the nature and produced using this technology at a competitive price.

The development of this plant and the application of new technology cost a total of EUR 45,000. Given an important characteristic of the technology – its adaptability to available resources, many individuals from all parts of Europe have expressed interest in acquiring and applying it, which is seen as a possibility of developing the business additionally through the transfer of technology. An agreement has already been signed with the Pozega municipality in Slavonija, and so has a letter of intent with Bulgarians. This model is also recognized by the province of Limburg (Belgium) which plans to base its entire development on that model. Eko fungi has recently received people from the Development Agency of the Spanish region of Basque as well as a representative of an American company interested in buying dried cultivated varieties of edible mushrooms. Thanks to all these activities, the profitability and growth of the company is certain.

Under the control of Eko fungi, the cooperative in Padinska Skela now produces 120 tonnes of champignon mushrooms a year, while the commissioning of the new plant and the use of new technology enabled the annual production of about 30 tonnes of oyster mushrooms. Mushrooms from Padinska Skela are on the menu of Hyatt Hotel and restaurants Hacijenda, Madera and Alo alo in Belgrade, and they are also used in the production of baked goods at bakeries across the capital. They can also be found at green markets Bajlonijeva and Zeleni Venac.

Also, the company is preparing further tests for its ideas and technologies based on these ideas. If it succeeds in this, Eko fungi will offer the European and global market a product of significantly enhanced quality, thus getting a higher position on the market than its competitors.

If the production of eduble mushrooms using cellulosic remains by the Eko fungi company is your favorite for the Investment of the Year Award, you can vote for this nomination at the official website of the Aurea Award.