Erdoğmuş Parfüm Sanayi(EPS Fragrances) and the Istanbul Directorate of Provincial Agriculture and Forestry have entered into an agreement for research involving aromatic plants.
Related: EPS Fragrances Explores Anti-Viral Fragrance Molecules as COVID-19 Treatment
The groups will work in tandem on the world-first research project featuring an open aquaponics system with extraction and analysis of essential oils. It will take place across grounds with a pond and about 7.4 acres of land. The initiative will also include two greenhouses and one extraction system as well to facilitate research and development.
The open aquaponics system relies on one pond and a nitrate conversion pool, where regular fish farming will continue. Fish waste, which contains nitrate that's hazardous to plants, will be converted to ammonia instead, to be used as fertilizer. With the natural fertilizer, the groups will work to grow aromatic plants. This system, which is typically utilized in close-circuit production for vegetable gardens, is a regular occurrence around the world. However, the open system configuration used during this research project will be the first utilized in the world.
When completed, the project's results will be shared with local Turkish farmers to establish high-yield and low-cost aromatic plants.
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