The first step was an intensively search of the European industry landscape -municipal and agricultural waste management- to identify promising sources of biobased residues. The result was a total of 23 different samples of residues that have been chemically and physically analyzed and characterized. Acceptability criteria for possible biobased residues have been defined, in order to identify possible new feedstocks for the fertilizer production.
Great part of the work was dedicated to the study of nutrient recovery from solid waste providing materials potentially suitable for application and feed material for fertilizer production. Its main purpose is to identify feasible bio-solid waste (like waste incineration ashes) in order to extract phosphorous/nitrogen/potassium eligible for NPK fertilizer use, select the optimum chemical extraction process and design the industrial process for chemical nutrients extraction process suitable to be used in the already existing NPK fertilizer plant. An important outcome of the project was the design of a new chemical nutrients extraction process, including the design and construction of a test bench to set up the designed process. With the results obtained, it was possible to design the industrial process for chemical nutrients extraction process suitable to be use in existing NPK fertilizer plant.
Regarding to liquid wastes a semi-industrial scale pilot has been implemented in an anaerobic digestion unit at a pig farm in Morbihan (France) with the objective of recover struvite. The bio-based raw materials obtained were granulated to obtain the NEWFERT’s NPK fertilizers.
Finally, the agronomic trials indicated that the substitution of the raw materials produced, overall, a fertilizer efficiency similar to that of the conventional NPK fertilizers with the same equilibrium.
In relation to the exploitation results NEWFERT has developed a new innovative technology to recover nutrients from bio-waste in the fertiliser industry. One of the technologies for nutrients recovery, has been patented by D&M and Fertiberia (EP17382535.7: PROCESS AND INSTALLATION FOR THE RECOVERY OF PHOSPHORUS FROM WASTE INCINERATION ASH, date of embargo: 02/02/2019). Proman will increase its experience in consultancy about waste as source of raw materials to design fertilisers. IRSTEA has developed a new and more efficient technology for phosphate recovery through the production of struvite. University of Leon will develop a new more efficient technology for nitrogen reduction through the bioelectrochemical systems and KWB will increase its knowledge about the fertiliser process and will increase its possibilities of offering consultancy in this subject.
The project partners have participated in more than ninety activities throughout the life of the project: organization of a conference and workshop, press release, flyer, website, participation in different conferences, workshops and trade fair.