Pig farm’s wastewater treatment plant protecting Zasavica special nature reserve

An algae-based biological wastewater treatment plant has been commissioned at the Milovan Ivanković pig farm in Zasavica near Sremska Mitrovica. The facility has been built to help protect the Zasavica special nature reserve, among other reasons.

The wastewater treatment facility at the Milovan Ivanković farm near the Zasavica special nature reserve has been built using the technology of Serbia’s Ozonway, the Ministry of Environmental Protection said in a press release.

The owner, Milovan Ivanković, whose farm has 3,600 pigs, invested EUR 280,000 in the environmental protection project in view of the fact that the Zasavica special nature reserve is located a mere two kilometers away, Večernje novosti reported.

According to Ivanković, investment in the wastewater treatment plant helps protect the environment, especially groundwater, contributing to the conservation of the Zasavica special nature reserve, the ministry said.

Energy efficient solution, dry residue can be utilized as biofuel

Discussing the benefits of the solution applied for the treatment of mainly organic wastewater, Željko Pantić, managing director at Ozonway, said that the facility is energy efficient and produces a dry residue that can be used as high-quality fertilizer or biofuel.

The locally developed technology based on algae is an example of applying domestic innovation to wastewater treatment, said Minister Goran Trivan at a ceremony to mark the launch of the facility’s operation, thanking Ivanković for investing in environmental protection through such a “pioneering endeavor.”

Serbia’s key environmental protection priority is to build 359 wastewater treatment plant, which will require investments of around EUR 5 billion, he said, noting that apart from the state’s investments, private investments will be needed in around 1,000 smaller wastewater treatment systems.

Zasavica – a habitat for endangered, rare species

Zasavica, which is on the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance, is a habitat for endangered and protected aquatic and wetland plant species such as water soldiers (Statiotes aloides) and rare plant and animal species such as greater spearwort (Ranunculus lingua) and otter (Lutra lutra).

The area, significant for biodiversity conservation, was also used for a successfully implemented project to reintroduce beavers (Castor fiber) to Serbia. Under a program for the conservation of indigenous breeds, the Mangalica pigs and Podolian cattle are raised free-range in the area.