Animal waste from enterprises in the Specialized Livestock OIZ in Şanlıurfa is processed at the biogas facility and converted into electricity and organic fertilizers.
Established in Eyyübiye with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the OIZ continues to expand. The biogas plant was built to prevent environmental pollution caused by animal and other organic wastes and to turn them into value.
After pre-processing, manure brought from facilities in the OIZ is used to obtain methane gas, which is then converted into electricity and supplied to the grid.
Once processed, the residues leave the facility as liquid and solid fertilizers and are offered to farmers.
Emre Erbay, Plant Manager at Babil Biogas, said they commissioned the plant three months ago with contributions from relevant institutions.
Erbay emphasized waste disposal at the facility: “When animal, vegetal and food-industry wastes are released into nature, they cause odor, water and air pollution and may spread diseases. We prevent this.”
He added that after biogas extraction, the remaining material is converted into fertilizer—liquid fertilizer is delivered by tankers and solid fertilizer is packaged for farmers.
By increasing organic matter in the soil with organic fertilizers, we aim to support sustainable agriculture, Erbay noted.
"Our facility has three pillars: waste management, electricity generation and organic fertilizer production. Currently, we meet the electricity needs of about 11,000 households. Our capacity is 40 tons/day of solid and 250 tons/day of liquid fertilizers. Since we avoid carbon emissions, we are also eligible for carbon credits."
He also mentioned future plans for a greenhouse heated by the plant and fed with organic fertilizers to export high-quality produce.
Mehmet Rüstem Çoşkun, Manager of the Specialized OIZ, stated that 532 enterprises—each with 200 head of cattle—are planned in the region.
With more enterprises becoming operational, all animal waste will be processed at the biogas plant and brought into the economy.
