Biorefinery of Inorganics

Recovering Mineral Nutrients from Biomass and Organic Waste

Erik Meers, Gerard Velthof, Evi Michels, Rene Rietra, Christian V. Stevens

• Publisher: Wiley
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781118921470
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Sustainable Agriculture
• Index: Technology & Engineering

Provides complete coverage of the recovery of mineral nutrients from biomass and organic waste

This book presents a comprehensive overview of the potential for mineral recovery from wastes, addressing technological issues as well as economic, ecological, and agronomic full-scale field assessments. It serves as a complete reference work for experts in the field and provides teaching material for future experts specializing in environmental technology sectors.

Biorefinery of Inorganics: Recovering Mineral Nutrients from Biomass and Organic Waste starts by explaining the concept of using anaerobic digestion as a biorefinery for production of an energy carrier in addition to mineral secondary resources. It then discusses the current state of mineral fertilizer use throughout the world, offering readers a complete look at the resource availability and energy intensity. Technical aspects of mineral recovery organic (waste-)streams is discussed next, followed by an examination of the economics of biobased products and their mineral counterparts. The book also covers the environmental impact assessment of the production and use of bio-based fertilizers; modelling and optimization of nutrient recovery from wastes; and more.

• Discusses global production and consumption of mineral fertilizers
• Introduces technologies for the recovery of mineral NPK from organic wastes and residues
• Covers chemical characterization and speciation of refined secondary resources, and shows readers how to assess biobased mineral resources
• Discusses applications of recovered minerals in the inorganic chemistry sector
• Compares the economics of biobased products with current fossil-based counterparts
• Offers an ecological assessment of introducing biobased products in the current fertilizer industry
• Edited by leading experts in the field

Biorefinery of Inorganics: Recovering Mineral Nutrients from Biomass and Organic Waste is an ideal book for scientists, environmental engineers, and end-users in the agro-industry, the waste industry, water and wastewater treatment, and agriculture. It will also be of great benefit to policy makers and regulators working in these fields.

Section V
Agricultural and Environmental Performance of Biobased Fertilizer Substitutes: Overview of Field Assessments

5.1
Fertilizer Replacement Value: Linking Organic Residues to Mineral Fertilizers

René Schils^1,2, Jaap Schröder², and Gerard Velthof¹

¹Wageningen Environmental Research, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands

²Wageningen Plant Research, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands

5.1.1 Introduction

Organic residues of animal origin are an important nutrient source for crop production. In the European Union, the annual nitrogen (N) input to agricultural soils is 25 490 Gg [1], or approximately 138 kg N ha⁻¹. Mineral fertilizer is the dominant source, representing 45% of the input, while applied and grazing manure represent 15 and 12%, respectively. Crop residues (15%), biological fixation (4%), and deposition (8%) complete the budget. For phosphorus (P), the data show similar large contributions from animal origin. The European phosphorus balance shows a total annual input to crops of 2967 Gg P [2], which equates to approximately 23 kg P ha⁻¹, comprising animal manure (53%), fertilizer (36%), sewage sludge (6%), compost (4%), and deposition (1%).

It is evident that the valuable nutrients from animal manures and other organic residues need to be applied to soils in an effective and efficient way, serving both agronomic efficiency and environmental quality. Due to the presence of organic nutrients, manures are more difficult to manage than mineral fertilizers. Nevertheless, it is essential that these “wastes” are reused to increase the nutrient use efficiency of our systems of food, feed, and other biomass production [3].

In areas where livestock is present, both mineral fertilizers and manures are applied to a single crop. The contrasting characteristics of these nutrient sources present a permanent challenge for farmers. While mineral fertilizers have a constant composition of inorganic components, manures are heterogeneous and also contain different organic fractions. Therefore, it is recognized that the fertilizing values of all nutrient sources need to be merged into a single useful figure. The increasing diversification in available organic residues makes the need for a correct assessment of the fertilizing value of these products more urgent. Next to straightforward traditional products such as slurry and farmyard manure, there is an increasing supply of other organic residues from animal and other origins. Manure processing, alone or in combination with feedstock from crops or industrial residues, will lead to an even wider range of products.

The objective of this chapter is to outline the theoretical concept of the fertilizer replacement value (FRV), and how it is derived in science and applied in farming practices. First, we explain the nutrient pathways from application of organic residues to crop uptake, identifying the different routes to nutrient losses. Then, we review the concept of FRVs and discuss methods of obtaining estimates, including ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Table of Contents
• Wiley SeriesinRenewable Resources
• List of Contributors
• Series Preface
• Preface
• Section I: Global Nutrient Flows and Cycling in Food Systems
• Section II: The Role of Policy Frameworks in the Transition Toward Nutrient Recycling
• Section III : State of the Art and Emerging Technologies in Nutrient Recovery from Organic Residues
• Section IV: Inspiring Cases in Nutrient Recovery Processes
• Section V: Agricultural and Environmental Performance of Biobased Fertilizer Substitutes: Overview of Field Assessments
• Section VI: Economics of Biobased Products and Their Mineral Counterparts
• Section VII: Environmental Impact Assessment on the Production and Use of Biobased Fertilizers
• Section VIII: Modeling and Optimization of Nutrient Recovery from Wastes: Advances and Limitations
• Index
• End User License Agreement