<![CDATA[Soil fertility plays a crucial role in sustaining agricultural productivity, and one effective strategy to enhance it is through the incorporation of organic matter such as humus. Although the natural process of humification requires considerable time, the resulting material greatly benefits soil structure, water retention, and nutrient availability. Modern technologies, including hydrothermal carbonization, offer the advantage of accelerating humus formation or generating comparable organic compounds within a shorter timeframe, thereby providing an efficient approach to soil enrichment. In parallel, local sheep leather tanning industries produce substantial waste, including leather scraps, sheep hair, and liquid effluents. Sheep hair is rich in keratin protein that remains underutilized, whereas fleshing waste contains proteins and fats that decompose rapidly and may cause environmental pollution if not properly managed. This study proposes a practical solution by converting such waste into organic fertilizer through hydrothermal carbonization. For this purpose, a hydrothermal reactor with a 20-liter capacity, 60 cm height, 21 cm diameter, and 10 cm wall thickness was designed to operate at 180 °C and 5 bar. Calibration of voltage, temperature, and pressure confirmed compliance with design specifications. Experimental trials using a 1:1:1 ratio of hair waste, fleshing waste, and water yielded 2,150 g of solid organic fertilizer and 2,070 g of liquid product, corresponding to an overall yield of 56.26%. In future work, the hydrothermal carbonization approach demonstrated in this study may be extended to plastic waste processing, since the similarity in carbon-rich feedstock composition allows potential adaptation of this system to convert polymeric waste into carbonaceous or biochar-like products, supporting circular-economy initiatives and sustainable material recovery through integrated organic and plastic waste treatment.]]>
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