ReNu2Farm

ReNu2Farm aims at increasing recycling rates of the plant nutrients Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K). P and K are limited and finite resources, and the production of N fertilizers is energy intensive. Despite recovery technologies having been developed, the use of recycling-derived fertilizer products by farmers is limited until now. The project will tackle the barriers limiting recycling-derived fertilizer use.

Nutrient Recycling – from pilot production to farms and fields.

Selected project countries are Ireland, United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and France. Within these countries, regions with nutrient shortage and surplus can be distinguished. Possibilities for exchange of recycled nutrients between regions will be explored and producer-consumer collaboration developed.

Upcycling nutrients in surplus regions to mineral fertilizer quality (according to farmers’ needs) will create demand in nutrient-demand regions in NWE. By developing transnational markets and by communicating policy advice, market barriers will be reduced. This will result in replacing mineral fertilizer amounts with recycling-derived products by the end of the project (-54,000 t N, -4,000 t P, -60,000 t K).

The 3 largest waste streams (sewage sludge, food waste and manure) will be considered and in an enterprise-academia cooperative monitoring processes, 20 producers will succeed to improve 17 recycling-derived fertiliser products' properties according to end-user needs. Development of transnational trade chains will facilitate 20 enterprises to introduce new-to-market recycling fertiliser products. In bottom-up cooperation with farmers, 8 farm enterprises will host demo fields and thus receive training. The knowledge transfer extents with demo events to members of 10 farmers’ organizations. Farmers knowledge lack barrier is decreased and with transnational trade chains being developed, raw material nutrient use decreases.

Due to communication to stakeholders (producers and farmers) (publications in magazines/ internet; workshops) 2% (-108,000 t N, -8,000t P, -120,000t K) of mineral fertilizer amounts will be replaced with recycling-derived products after 5 years and 6% (-324,000t N, 24,000t P, 360,000t K) after 10 years. Farmers’ organizations and fertiliser producer branch organisations as associate partners ensure long term implementation.

 

Province of West Flanders is co-funding the project for Flander Region

 

 

ReNu2Farm CAP approval 

The ReNu2Farm project has been successfully approved at Interreg North-West Europe Programme’s call for capitalisation initiatives (CAP) in March 2021 and runs from April 2021 until March 2023. The project will stimulate new markets for increased RDF (recycling-derived fertilizer) use and decrease mineral fertiliser usage in North-West Europe. New target groups will be the horticulture and the private/recreational sectors, whereas the horticulture sector represents the largest RDF sales market after agriculture. Private households with stakeholders from leisure activities and the recreational sector will be addressed to increase public acceptance of RDFs. 

CAP partnership: IZES gGmbH/ DE (Lead); Munster Technological University/ IE; Universiteit Gent/ BE; Inagro vzw/ BE; Nutriënten Management Instituut BV/ NL; University of Limerick/ IE; Soil Concept s.a.r.l./ LUX; Impact vzw/ BE; EST Horticole/ FR (+ strategic partner: Canterbury Christ Church University/ UK).

 

Vlaio is co-funding the CAP iniitiative for Flander Region

Check the project website 

Discover the deliverables 

Project coordinator

  • IZES gGmbH, Germany

Project Partners 

  • University of Limerick, Ireland 
  • Cork Institute of Technology - Water Systems and Services Innovation Centre, Ireland
  • ARVALIS Institut du végétal, France
  • Soil Concept, Luxembourg 
  • Outotec GmbH & Co. KG, Germany
  • Nutriënten Management Instituut BV, Netherlands 
  • Universiteit Gent, Belgium
  • Inagro, Belgium
  • Institute of Technology Carlow, Ireland