Project

REcycling of NUtrients to close the fertiliser CYCLE

Acronym
Renu2Cycle
Code
41K05623
Duration
24 March 2023 → 30 June 2027
Funding
European funding: various
Promotor
Research disciplines
  • Engineering and technology
    • General chemical and biochemical engineering not elsewhere classified
Keywords
fertiliser
Other information
 
Project description

EU is importing annually > 6 Mio t of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) fertiliser. NPK pricing is coupled to energy, mining, synthesis & transport costs. Russia & Ukraine were main N suppliers to EU, while P supply is heavily dependent on Moroccan resource intensive import. This makes NWE’s agriculture highly dependent on world economic & geopolitical developments. At the same time, essential nutrients in NWE are still lost in form of non-recycled organic resources from waste sector & nutrient surplus regions (e.g. Flanders, North Rhine Westphalia, NL) due to a predominating linear economic model. Nutrient deficit regions (e.g. Lux., IE, Saarl.) are still not supplied with recycling-derived fertilisers (RDF) from surplus regions, where innovative nutrient recovery enterprises have been established. Overall objective is to reduce NWE's dependency on fossil-based fertiliser imports with proven impacts on availability, ecol. foot-print & price stability via transregional valorisation of recycled NPK from municipal, industrial waste & agric. sector in Flanders, NL, IE, Saarl, Low-Sax, Lux. ReNu2Cycle is building on the achievements of ReNu2Farm which provided basic & regional quantified fertiliser demand research. New co-development and implementation to be performed to adapt regional best-practices for NWE: living lab concepts encouraging long-term co-innovation & implementation support. Maximising RDF use by creating innovative fertiliser blends & business solutions for producers portfolios incl. sustainability assessment. Traders will be empowered to consult/ market RDFs. RDF use at (+organic-) agriculture farms will be assessed. All results will be capitalised in one transregional nutrient supply-demand strategy & regional action plans. Resource owners, fertiliser producers, traders & farmers benefit to comply with the latest EU policies, which finally allow a harmonised RDF market trade in NWE (7/22), contributing further to NWE food supply security.

 
 
 
Disclaimer
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Regional Development Fund, ERDF. Neither the European Union nor the authority can be held responsible for any use the may be made of the information contained therein.