FERTIPLUS

This project identified urban and farm organic waste to recycle nutrients into agriculture as biochar, compost or combinations of them. FERTIPLUS assessed and used the potential of urban and farm organic residues, contributing to sustainable crop production and soil productivity and quality across regions in Europe. It aimed at demonstrating effective innovative processing and application of biochar and compost while ensuring safety for soil organisms, the environment and human health throughout the food chain, as far as potential mineral and organic contaminants were concerned.

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FERTIPLUS assessed scenarios on amount and quality of organic wastes available within the EU to identify and map their potential for recycling nutrients to soil and plants in biochar or compost.
Production processes for compost and biochar were reviewed and new technologies were designed to obtain high quality biochar with functionalities related to site-specific targets of sustainable soil management.
Compost and biochar amendments were compared in lab and field trials for agronomical and environmental impacts (crop production, disease suppression, soil C sequestration, prevention of GHG emissions and leaching losses) and biofuel and energy balance.
The results were used to complete a Life Cycle Analysis and define the best application practices for an effective and safe use of the final products in agriculture in an economically viable way.
The consortium combined the expertise needed for these goals and involved 6 SMEs to guarantee rapid implementation of results and innovations in line with future regulatory projects (e.g. End of Waste criteria for bio-waste, revision of Fertilizers Regulation).
Focused dissemination and communication actions included a website, brochures and meetings on innovations targeted to stakeholders and extension services.

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FERTIPLUS

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