HB Ponics is an applied-research project that aims to produce expendable results, with an impact on key sectors (agriculture, energy, and environment) of the South Tyrolean economy. Although anaerobic digestion (hereinafter, AD) of zoo-technical waste is considered a sustainable form of energy production, it still has weaknesses that can be improved. In particular, digestate is a byproduct that is directly used for agricultural purposes or, if the parameters established by current

legislation are not respected, it is treated as a disposable waste, thus becoming an economic and environmental cost. The hydrothermal conversion process (HTC) has recently aroused the interest of the scientific community, configuring itself as a valid and effective alternative for the treatment of wet biomass and its transformation into a carbonaceous solid material (hereinafter, hydrochar) and in a nutrient rich liquid.