Bio-based FERtilising products as the best practice for agricultural management SusTainability

Project Information

B-FERST

Grant agreement ID: 837583

DOI

10.3030/837583

Project closed

EC signature date 24 April 2019

Start date 1 May 2019

End date 31 October 2024

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies – Biotechnology

Total cost

€ 10 016 296,00

EU contribution

€ 6 787 075,75

Coordinated by

FERTIBERIA CORPORATE SL
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 4 - B-FERST (Bio-based FERtilising products as the best practice for agricultural management SusTainability)

Reporting period: 2023-11-01 to 2024-10-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The EC’s focus on agricultural research is evident through initiatives like the European Green Deal (GD) and the Farm to Fork (F2F) strategy. The F2F strategy aims to reduce nutrient losses by 50% without harming soil fertility, while the GD encourages reduced fertiliser use and promotes nutrient recycling from organic waste. Additionally, the Circular Economy policy supports shifting from mineral to organic nutrients sourced from recycled and biowaste materials.
The European Union relies heavily on non-renewable and external raw materials for fertiliser production. Nutrient loss during fertilisation can occur due to field management, soil characteristics, or environmental conditions. There is a growing need to develop innovative solutions to promote the circular economy, protect and improve nutrient efficiency and increase the use of low-carbon fertilisers.
B-Ferst has addressed those challenges by developing innovative fertilisers that incorporate biowastes (that partially replace the conventional raw materials), improve soil quality and biodiversity and reduce environmental impact. The project has therefore created new circular bio-based value chains: from the farmers, waste managers, agrifood industries, technology providers, research centres, bioplastics industry and fertilisers industry. B-Ferst’s main goal is to integrate bio-waste valorisation into agricultural management, while considering factors like quality, safety, industrial processes, logistics, economic viability, regulation, and life cycle.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The project began in 2019 and the consortium is compounded by 11 entities: Fertiberia (Coordinator), University of Leon, FCC Aqualia and Agrisat (Spain), Novamont and Fondazione iCons (Italy), FKUR KUNSTSTOFF (Germany), Vito and Arcadia (Belgium), AG Futura Technologies (North Macedonia), Instytut Uprawy Nawozenia i Gleboznawstwa (Poland).
The project mapped biowastes in 8 European countries, analyzing samples to identify suitable sources and refine a logistic model. Five biobased materials were selected as nutrient sources for fertilizer production (among 150 candidates). Nutrient recovery processes were validated, producing P-precipitated salt from ashes, and eight biobased fertilizers were developed and optimized at Fertiberia’s facilities in Seville and Huelva.
Two first-of-its-kind demo plants were built: one for nutrient recovery using novel acid leaching technology to extract insoluble phosphates from biowaste; the other for applying biobased coatings such as biostimulants (MPB or NMPB) and biodegradable biopolymers to enhance soil nutrients and fertilizer performance. These two innovative processes were introduced as part of B-Ferst in order to make the manufacturing process more sustainable and have an improved and more sustainable final product thanks to the reuse of biowaste.
B-Ferst conducted field trials in diverse climatic areas across Italy, Portugal, Spain, and Poland to evaluate the performance of new fertilisers on various crops in four campaigns. Data analysis included standard fertiliser tests, remote sensing, and assessments of biowaste reuse to replace non-renewable materials. The trials also evaluated the impact of microbial and non-microbial biostimulants and examined soil biodiversity. Biobased fertilisers performed equal than conventional fertilisers, and they needed the incorporation of a biostimulant to enhance their efficiency. Moreover, the rational application of conventional and biobased fertilisers improved the soil biodiversity. These efforts established a new framework for understanding and demonstrating fertiliser performance for both technicians and farmers.
Regulation (EU) No 2019/1009 promotes the use of organic and waste-based fertilizers within the single market, promoting bio-nutrient recycling. It permits secondary raw materials in CE-marked fertilizing products, as long as they adhere to strict safety, production, efficacy, and contaminant standards. This regulation aids the adoption of sustainable products, such as those from the B-Ferst project (two biostimulants are being registered).
The project carried out a series of dissemination activities, including brochures, videos, leaflets, interviews and social media content, as well as the publication of five scientific articles. Over 70 news items were published in multiple languages, enhancing local communication through partner collaboration. Partners participated in or organized more than 90 events, reaching around 10,879 people.
The project results helped to identify the main barriers and bottlenecks for the biowaste implementation in the fertiliser industry value chain.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The Nutrient Recovery Process has been optimized, establishing the best operational condititions to incorporate biobased materials into the fertiliser production process. Two demo plants were successfully constructed and commissioned. This has resulted in a new range of biobased fertilisers with biobased raw materials and coatings, including biostimulants and biowaxes.
An oil crop seed crushing plant was optimized at a tonne scale, achieving a 96-99% oil cake recovery with minimal losses. Additionally, an innovative reactor was developed to produce biostimulant mixtures (NMBP), with testing confirming successful scalability from pilot to demo stages.
B-Ferst has developed new products (Biobased organomineral and organic fertilisers) and has produced the required quantities to be tested in field conditions and to evaluate their effectiveness. The project has shown promising results in many cases, demonstrating the potential of these biobased fertilizers to contribute to more sustainable practices. It has been proven that the rational application of conventional and biobased fertilisers improved the soil biodiversity, even attracting PGPR to the plant rhizosphere. The project has demonstrated that fertilizer doses can be reduced by 25% without affecting crop production, even improving the crop yield, contributing to cost savings for farmers.

The environmental sustainability of B-Ferst fertilisers was assessed throughout their life cycle, from raw materials to field application (Cradle to grave assessment). Compared to conventional fertilisers, B-Ferst had a lower environmental impact, especially when crop yields were higher: environmental impacts were driven by the fertiliser performance in field (use phase). In this respect, the carbon footprint was reduced by up to 10% and replaced 10-40% raw materials with biowastes. The project also fostered new cross-sector collaborations across the value chain, connecting sectors like agri-food, fertiliser manufacturing, biostimulant production, wastewater treatment and plastics, improving interactions between farmers and various stakeholders.
B-FERST has made progress toward the objective by addressing certification requirements under the Fertilizer Products Regulation and providing regulatory insights through interactions with stakeholders.
Looking ahead, integrating advanced technologies and sustainable farming practices, like those in the B-Ferst project, are crucial for more sustainable crop production. Embracing these solutions will create a greener, more efficient, and resilient agricultural industry where innovation and sustainability are closely aligned.

B-FERST Factsheet 1

B-FERST Biobased Fertilisers