European pigs and cows jointly produce about 1.27 billion tons of manure per year. Manure is a largely unexplored and exquisite mining source for the recovery of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. The technological processes used in the project cycle are of proven efficacy in the wastewater treatment field and will be combined in several process configurations to demonstrate their technological and environmental potential at pilot scale for cow and pig manure.

To render the cradle-cradle approach complete, the fertilizer effects of recovered nutrients on plant growth and soil health will be analyzed. Green fertilizers produced by blending of the recovered nutrients are tested in greenhouse conditions by in-depth characterization of the plants´ response to evaluate the effects of the manure-derived fertilizers on plant growth and performance. These studies cover plant availability of the nutrients and effects on plants and soil microbial communities as target organisms.

Contact IBG-2:

Dr. Nicolai David Jablonowski