Adapting Manufacturing Demonstration Facilities for Local Biofertilizer Production: Enthela’s NEB-Aligned Innovation

The STARHAUS Open Call #OIC2 brought together creative and technological innovators under the principles of the New European Bauhaus, promoting sustainability, accessibility, resilience, and human-centric design. Within this collaborative framework, Enthela’s project—Adapting Manufacturing Demonstration Facilities (MDFs) for Biofertilizer Production: Sustainable & Scalable Solutions—was selected under the Fertilizer use-case for its potential to transform plant nutrition and reduce reliance on synthetic inputs.

The project responds to a clear and urgent challenge: the need for sustainable fertilization practices that are accessible to everyday growers.

By reimagining Manufacturing Demonstration Facilities, originally built for digitalized and automated production, Enthela is creating a localized system capable of producing tailored microbial fertilizers.

This approach combines real-time soil diagnostics with automated formulation, making advanced agronomic insight available at neighborhood scale.

At the center of the system is a Soil Sensor Module equipped with ion-selective electrodes (ISEs). These sensors measure key nutrients—nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium—as well as salinity and environmental conditions.

The measurements enable precise, site-specific analysis of soil needs. Based on these readings, the MDF machine automatically prepares a custom microbial formulation, creating a biofertilizer tailored to the soil’s current condition. This adaptive dosing approach supports hobby gardeners—the target “prosumer” segment—who are increasingly interested in low-toxicity, sustainable practices. Both market and cultural signals reinforce this trend: the organic fertilizer market in Europe is projected to grow significantly, the EU is promoting urban and peri-urban gardening, and consumers are actively seeking environmentally responsible growing solutions.

Enthela’s team validated these wider signals with direct interviews in Bulgaria and Germany. Gardeners consistently expressed interest in biological solutions that improve yields while remaining pollinator-safe and low-residue, confirming strong product-market fit.

The project highlights the rising importance of microbial fertilizers. These living formulations enhance nutrient availability, improve soil biodiversity, support plant stress tolerance, and reduce the need for chemical fertilization or pesticides.

For hobby gardeners, the benefits extend beyond plant performance: microbial fertilizers enable food production that is both healthier and more environmentally responsible.

To deliver these biological advantages, the system relies on a consortium of microorganisms, each selected for a specific function—from nitrogen mineralization to phosphorus solubilization, potassium mobilization, stress resistance, and biocontrol. Instead of adjusting recipes based on plant species, the MDF follows a soil-driven logic. Mixed hobby gardens often contain many crops growing side-by-side, making crop-specific formulations impractical. Instead, the sensor module assigns each nutrient a class from “very low” to “very high” and calculates a deficiency score.

The MDF then adjusts microbial dosing proportionally, increasing nitrogen-fixing or phosphorus-mobilizing strains when deficiencies are detected and strengthening stress-tolerant microorganisms in harsh conditions.

Trichoderma remains a constant baseline component for root protection and overall plant vigor.

This approach creates a biologically intelligent, plant-agnostic system. Because microorganisms interact directly with roots—exchanging nutrients for sugars—plants absorb only what they need. Rather than a traditional fertilizer model aimed at producing a fixed yield, Enthela’s system recreates a living, self-regulating soil ecosystem guided by real-time data. The result is steady nutrition, balanced growth, and clean produce.

Operationally, the system is designed for simplicity. A gardener brings a small soil sample, which the module mixes with water before taking measurements.

The sensors self-calibrate through two reference points to ensure accuracy throughout the day. The MDF then prepares the appropriate microbial blend, dispenses small, precise amounts of each biological agent, and mixes them into a single dose ready for application. Instructions displayed on-screen guide the gardener on how to apply the formulation and over what area.

Behind this user-friendly journey lies substantial engineering work. The Soil Analysis Module uses ISE technology to convert voltage readings into nutrient concentrations based on the Nernst equation. Extensive calibration and validation were carried out, including comparisons between ISE readings and accredited laboratory analyses.

Results showed strong correlation for phosphorus and moderate correlation for potassium. Nitrogen readings proved more challenging, highlighting the need for enhanced dual-sensor designs to differentiate nitrate and ammonium.

These findings informed improvements in auto-calibration and drift control, ensuring that the system maintains accuracy during continuous operation.

Parallel testing on the MDF demonstrated reliable dispensing accuracy, consistent mixing, and effective digital traceability. Minor technical challenges, such as over-dispensing in one module and the need for improved mixing hardware, provided direction for the next iteration.

Plant trials were conducted at three locations—Dragalevtsi, Gorna Oryahovitsa, and Simitli—across different soil types and fertility levels. Baseline soil analysis was followed by custom microbial formulation and application. After 30 days, plants at all sites showed stronger color, accelerated early growth, and improved cob or fruit formation. Nutrient levels in low-fertility soils increased by approximately eight percent, confirming the effectiveness of microbial mobilization. The consistency of results across diverse locations demonstrated the feasibility of adaptive, soil-specific microbial fertigation.

Community engagement was central to the project. A storytelling approach using visual concepts helped gardeners understand how the system works and how they would interact with it. Participants found the process intuitive and expressed trust in the soil-to-biofertilizer logic. Valuable feedback included requests for larger buttons, brighter displays, and clearer visual or audio cues—insights that will directly inform the next prototype.

Looking ahead, the next phase focuses on building the first fully functional prototype of the Soil Analysis Module, complete with auto-calibration. Usability testing with hobby gardeners will refine the interface and workflow, while integration with the MDF will allow for real-time dosing in live trials. Expanded field validation across new locations and soil types will further strengthen performance data and scalability.

Through this project, Enthela demonstrates how localized biofertilizer production—powered by real-time soil sensing and microbial science—can bring the values of the New European Bauhaus directly into gardens and communities. The system is sustainable, modular, accessible, and resilient, offering a new model of neighborhood-scale, human-centric production that supports healthier soils and more responsible food cultivation.

Read more about our member Enthela here.