European solution approaches for nutrient

recovery in the EU project SYSTEMIC

Oscar Schoumans

Wageningen University & Research

abonoCARE, 5-6 March, Leipzig, Germany

Challenges

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➢ Demographic changes

• From 7 to 9+ billion people

• Urbanization

• Consumption pattern change 2050: 70% more food production

2050: 70% of population in cities‘massive resource drains’

➢ Resources become scarce

• Natural gas Nitrogen fertilisers

• Phosphate rock mining

• Good quality of fresh water

Competing claims for resources e.g. food & feed vs biofuel

Phosphorus use in the EU-27

➢ High P input mainly to agricultural production system (73%)

Gross balance EU27 (roughly)

IN kton % OUT & Accumulation kton %

No-food & detergents 100 4% Products (exported) 600 23%

Crops & food products 600 23% Waste & losses 1200 46%

Animal feed & P additives 400 15% Accumulation 800 31%

Mineral fertilizer 1500 58%

2600 100% 2600 100%

➢ High P losses (46%; including organic waste) (mainly Human consumption & Food processing; total 42%)

➢ High P accumulation 31% (mainly in soils; 29%)

Schoumans et al, 2015

P USE EFFICIENCY HAVE TO INCREASE WITH 50 – 70% TO FEED EU / WORLD

P reserves worldwide: 70 billion tons

World mining: 0.270 billion tons / year

(“260 years”) Source: USGS, 2019

EU: negligible rock phosphate minescompletely depended on P import!!!

➢ European strategy: From a linear to a circular economy

▪ COM(2015) 614, Closing the loop - An EU action plan for the

Circular Economy

▪ COM(2016) 157, Circular Economy Package - Proposal for a

regulation

➢ Valorisation of biomass waste streams (manure surpluses, sludge,

food and feed waste, ..... : “biowaste”) into valuable products

Awareness of limited natural resources

1. Reduce nutrient inputs, where possible

5R-Strategy for optimizing the nutrient balance

2. Reuse nutrients from organic residues

3. Recover nutrients from biomass waste streams

5. Redefine systems, where needed

4. Reduce nutrients losses to surface water

SYSTEMIC

Systemic large-scale eco-innovation to advance circular

economy and mineral recovery from organic waste in Europe

5 demonstration plants

(leading pioneers)

▪ Performance of nutrient recovery technologies

▪ Business case development

▪ Environmental Impact Assessment and LCA

▪ Policy advise

10 Outreach Locations &

18 Associated Plants

(first followers)

SYSTEMIC in a nutshell

• Processing capacity: 50.000 – 180.000 ton/year

• Investment in Nutrient Recovery Technologies (pilot full scale)

• Starting up autumn 2017 and all fully running and monitoring by the end of 2019

Innovation at demonstration plants

Photo AmPower

UK plant under construction

Technical Innovation at demonstration plants

Feedstocks• Pig manure• Poultry litter• Sewage sludge• Energy crops• Agro-industrial residues

Innovative Technologies• Reverse Osmosis (RO)• Evaporation• N-stripping• P-stripping

End Products• Biogas• NK concentrates• (NH4)2SO4 fertiliser• Struvite & Ca phosphate• Organic fertilisers and soil

improvers• Organic fibres

Downloads: (www.systemicproject.eu)• Technical Factsheets of demoplants• Newsletter of demoplants

Desired utilisation of recovered N-products (from manure) (e.g. Mineral NK concentrates or ammonium sulphate)

Nitrate Directive

170 kg N/y as manure or as N

products from manure

EC - SAFEMANURE

Definition of conditions for

recovered N products from manure

which can be used as substitute for

synthetic mineral fertiliser

Location: Vellezzo Bellini (Northern Italy) and built in 2016

Agriculture: Cereals, mainly rice

Feedstock: Sewage sludge >80%; domestic food waste

Max capacity: 120 000 tons/year

Digester cap.: 13.500 m3 (thermophilic: 55 oC & 20 days)

Nutrient recovery: NH3-stripping (NH4)2SO4

Philosophy: - high NH3 concentrations can reduce biogas production

- minimize ammonia and odour emissions

- maximize fertilization effects on nearby 5000 ha agr. land

o digestate as soil improver (low N-content; high N/NH4)

o (NH4)2SO4 as substitute for synthetic fertilizers

Demonstration plant Acqua & Sole (IT)

Demonstration plant Acqua & Sole

Product composition

Demonstration plant Acqua & Sole

DigestateAmmonium Sulphate

pH 8,6 6

Dry matter (g/kg) 101 363

Organic carbon (g/kg)

33 <1,8

N-total (g/kg) 7,8 74

NH4-N (g/kg) 4,4 74

P-total (g/kg) 2,8 0,011

K-total (g/kg) 0,63 0,012

S (g/kg) 1,1 84

Ca (g/kg) 5,3 0,094

Mg (g/kg) 0,86 0,014

Save costs synthetic fertilizers

Location: Pittem (Flanders, Belgium) and built in 2011

Agriculture: Pig husbandry

Feedstock: food industry waste 90%

Max capacity: 180 000 tons/year

Digester cap.: 20 000 m3 (thermophilic, 50-60 days)

Nutrient recovery: Evaporator (concentrated digestate, 20% DM) and dry P-rich biosolids

Philosophy: - Reduce digestate processing cost

- Maximize fertilization effects on agricultural land

o Blend concentrated digestate and dry biosolids and export it

nutrient depleted regions

Demonstration plant AM-Power (BE)

Demonstration plant AM-Power (BE)

Product composition (preliminary results)

Demonstration plant AM-Power (BE)

Previous process(DAF + RO)

Current process (evaporator/condensator + RO)

DigestateNK-

concentrateP-rich

biosolids

Expected Concentrated

digestate

Expected P-rich biosolids

pH 8.7 7.7 7.5 8.7 7.5

Dry Matter(g/kg)

59 43 912 200 912

Organic Matter (g/kg)

32 18 523 62 523

N-total (g/kg) 5.5 5 31 28 31

NH4-N (g/kg) 2.9 4.2 0.88 22 0,88

P-total (g/kg) 1.4 0.01 19 1.7 19

K-total (g/kg) 3.3 4.3 11 21 11

ton/y €/ton M€ ton/y €/ton M€

Raw digestate 102150 18.85 1.93 21900 18.85 0.41

dried solid fraction 7868 13.50 0.11 14106 0.00 0.00

mineral concentrate 35000 25.00 0.88 0.00

Total 2.91 0.41

Old New

Location: Beltrum (Eastern Netherlands) and built in 2004

Agriculture: 65% grassland and 35% arable (region Achterhoek)

Feedstock: Manure >75% (mainly pig) and food & feed waste

Max capacity: 140 000 tons/year

Digester cap.: 15 000 m3 (mesophilic: 35-38 oC & 20 days)

Nutrient recovery: P recovery (Ca~P or struvite), RO (NK concentrate; water)

Philosophy: - Reduce export of manure surplus over long distances (D)

- Maximize fertilization effects on agricultural land

o Soil improver with a low N & P-content

o Mineral (NK) concentrate as substitute for synthetic fertilizers

o P precipitate as secondary resource P-fertilizer industry

Demonstration plant Groot Zevert Digestion (NL)

Demonstration plant Groot Zevert Digestion (NL)

Product composition (preliminary results)

Save costs transport:

- Solid fraction (20.000 m3) no long distance transport to Germany any more

(> 400 km) a 25 €/m3: savings 0.5 M€ /y

- Liquid fraction (80.000 m3) is reduced by 50%:

Volume 40 000 m3 / y and 10-15 € / m3 savings 0.4 – 0.6 M€ /y

Demonstration plant Groot Zevert Digestion (NL)

Online tool for biogas plant owners:

Virtually experiment with NRR technologies

• Input: digestate composition

• Select: NRR technology train / cascades

• Output:

• Mass -& nutrient balance:

end products and estimated composition

• Cost estimation (excl. Disposal cost/marketing profit for end products)

NRR calculation Tool to help first followers

Calculation tool

Roadmap to NRR

Policy advice to overcome innovation barriers e.g.

➢ Policy-Science workshops (2018) on Nitrate Directive

➢ New Fertiliser Regulation & SAFEMANURE

➢ Meeting & visits policymakers: regional, national, Members European Parliament

➢ Policy-Science workshop 22 April 2020 Brussels: Developing a stimulating growth environment for

biogas and biobased fertilisers from biowaste

Policy advice

Developing a roadmap for the transition towards a circular economy for

nutrients from organic waste streams

Roadmap

Conclusions

- A lot of experiences has been obtained dealing with the

constructing NRR technologies and the demonstration of nutrient

recovery and product quality at large biogas plants are running.

- Most plants will have economic benefits from nutrient recovery, but

new market needs to be further development. Sustainability

aspects are an important next step to address additional benefits.

- Knowledge exchange is very important for the first followers

(interaction between plant owners, product quality, KPI, ...) in

order to give a boost to the Circular Economy.

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Thank you for your

attention