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However, the full potential of nutrient recovery and reuse from our biowastes will not be recognised until the products can compete on a level playing field with other (synthetic) fertilising products. Working with organic waste materials is complex and requires expensive technologies and like in many industries in our linear economy, reusing materials often comes at a higher cost than developing products from virgin materials. The technology to recover nutrients from biowaste is well developed and applicable at the industrial scale, as shown by the SYSTEMIC project. But greater incentives are needed to stimulate the market for recovered nutrients in order to scale up the circular economy to enable the objectives of the Green Deal to be met.

The aim of this paper is therefore to inform policy makers regarding both the policy barriers that need to be overcome, and possible policy opportunities which can be developed within the Fit for 55 framework and beyond.

Read the policy note here.

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Flow Diagrams of the Demonstration Plants illustrating the technology, processes and products

• Groot Zevert plant Updated! (English)
• AM-Power plant Updated! (English)
• Acqua & Sole plant Updated! (English)
• BENAS plant Updated! (English)
• Waterleau Updated!(English)

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The SYSTEMIC event will be divided into two parts, as below:

Session I: Performance, agronomical aspects and practical experiences (24/11/2021 14:45 – 16:00)
14:45 – 14:50 Welcome and introduction session
Presentations: 15 minutes and QA 5 minutes
14:50 – 15:10 Nutrient recovery at large scale demonstration plants
15:10 – 15:30 Agronomical aspects and application of products in practice
15:30 – 15:50 Web-based Business Development Package
15:50 – 16:00 General discussion

Session II: Impact assessment, market development and legislative aspects (24/11/2021 16:15 – 17:30)
16:15 – 16:20 Welcome and introduction session

Presentations: 15 minutes and QA 5 minutes
16:20 – 16:40 Business Case Evaluation, KPI’s and Business models
16:40 – 17:00 Environmental impact assessment and LCA
17:00 – 17:20 Legislative aspects and incentives to stimulate market developments
17:20 – 17:30 SYSTEMIC’s roadmap: main conclusions and policy sound messages

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The H2020 project SYSTEMIC organised a Living Lab meeting and site visits to demonstration plant Groot Zevert Vergisting (GZV, Netherlands) and Benas (Germany). Highlight of the two-day visit was the new paper moulding machine at BENAS were organic fibres from digestate are turned into cardboard products.
At the first day, the group of representatives of 6 SYSTEMIC Outreach Locations, 3 Demo Plants and 1 Associated Plant met in Beltrum, located in an agricultural area in the eastern part of the Netherlands.

Here they were able to discuss the business cases their biogas plant, regarding digestate treatment with nutrient recovery, exchange experiences and look into possibilities for the future. Afterwards, they received a detailed presentation on Demo Plant GZV, to prepare them for their site visit that afternoon.

GZV turns pig slurry and residues from agro-industry into 9.7 million m³ of biogas, organic- and mineral fertilising products and clean water. The solid fraction of digestate is exported to Germany whereas the liquid fraction is further processed into an RO concentrate with 7.6 g N/kg in mineral form. This fertiliser complies with criteria for RENURE products and GZV has a temporary exemption to use RO concentrate on top of the limit of 170 kg N/ha thereby replacing synthetic nitrogen fertilisers. By separating digestate into tailor-made fertilising products, GZV has reduced digestate transport by 55% as compared to the old situation in which unseparated digestate was exported to Germany. GZV also invested in an technique to separate the solid fraction into a low-P organic fibres and precipitated P salts. The perspectives of using organic fibres from digestate as potting soil ingredient draw the attention of the audience.

On the second day, the group travelled to Benas in Ottersberg, Germany, where 87 kton of energy crops and poultry litter are converted into 10 million m3 biogas. The plant is equipped with a novel nitrogen stripper (FiberPlus system) ammonia stripped from the digestate, and condensed as an ammonia solution reacts with gypsum forming ammonium-sulphate and calcium carbonate. Gypsum is a cheap waste product from desulphurisation of exhaust gasses of coal-fired electricity plants and this approach avoids using sulphuric acid which is normally used in N strippers. Highlight of the trip was the extraction of organic fibres from the striped digestate. These fibres, with a low ammonium content, are further processed by a paper making machine into cardboard pots and mulch mats.

The thirty visitors came from Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Austria and Croatia and are all working in the biogas sector. They all valued having had the opportunity to share their own practical experiences on biogas production and digestate processing. Overall, this first meeting after easing of the covid-19 restrictions and sadly last meeting in the framework of the SYSTEMIC project turned out to be fruitful and inspiring.

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The five biogas plants invested in innovative digestate treatment systems including evaporators, reverse osmosis and nitrogen stripping and phosphorus recovery. Realisation of technical innovations was not without setbacks. Three of the demonstration plants that had to engineer and construct their installation during the time span of the project faced delays during engineering, construction or commissioning of the technical installations. A shortage of skilled engineers and a lack of materials were mentioned as bottlenecks. Subsidies, for example through involvement in this H2020 project, were found to be helpful to control financial risks. The project therefore not only contributed to the realisation of NRR technologies at the biogas plants but, indirectly also contributed to the learning process of local engineering companies preparing them for future installations to be built.

Development of innovations in digestate treatment also involves product- and market development which is a key component of a successful business model. A success story is the sale of fully biodegradable mulch mats, pots and paper produced by demonstration plant BENAS (Bremen, Germany). The biogas plants is equipped with a FibrePlus installation which includes an ammonia stripping unit followed by separation of organic fibres which are thereafter further processed into paper and carton products. The FibrePlus installation was already in use at the start of the SYSTEMIC project but it took several years to bring the product to the market. They initially targeted industrial companies whom were interested in purchasing the fibres as a commodity for fibre board production, but would not pay enough to create a positive business case. Benas then realised that their fibres – being fully biodegradable and from organic origin – have unique selling point and that this could open up the way to niche markets but only if they would be able to convert the raw material into market-ready end-products. They are now proud to be producer of the first FiBL-certified[1] mulch paper being marketed under the name MagaVerde targeting application in organic vineyards. The development process of BENAS shows similarities with the ongoing development process at Groot Zevert Vergisting (Beltrum, The Netherlands) which is producing a low-P soil improver from the solid fraction of digestate. They are exploring opportunities to apply this fibrous product as a peat-replacer in potting soil which would create far greater profit as compared to the sale as a soil improver to local farmers.

Production of tailor-made fertilising products is another key factor for creating revenues out of fertilisers. Waterleau New Energy (Ieper, Belgium), for example, is producing a dried solid fraction out of digestate which they now blend with evaporator concentrate to a 50% dry matter organic fertiliser. This avoids formation of dust and the fertiliser has a higher market value because of the increased N and K content. The solid fertiliser is transported to France because there is no demand for this type of fertilizer in the region where the plant operates.

Groot Zevert Vergisting,  operating in a region with a surplus of animal manure, processes digestate into a solid fraction and an RO concentrate. They are now selling a tailor-made fertiliser, consisting of a blend of RO concentrate, liquid urea and ammonium sulphate, that meets criteria of farmers with respect to the N content and nutrient ratio’s. The blend is sold at a price similar to that of synthetic N fertiliser. The revenues however, do not outweigh the costs for product analysis, storage, transport and low-emission injection of the fertiliser. High costs for product handling are related to the low N content (0.8%) of the RO concentrate and hence it’s large volume. Nevertheless, the plant owner benefits from the investment in the reverse osmosis installation since they can now sell their fertiliser to farmers in the region whereas they previously had to export the digestate over long distances. These benefits arise from the fact that the RO concentrate complies with criteria for RENURE (REcovered Nitrogen from manURE) fertilisers and can therefore be applied as an alternative for synthetic fertiliser on top of the limit of 170 kg N/ha for animal manure. This is an great example of an equal level playing field for biobased versus synthetic fertilisers but yet an exception since others still experience price differences or difficulties in getting there fertiliser accepted abroad.

While innovations in digestate treatment and product marketing are generally long-lasting, market conditions which may change relatively fast. An example is the decrease in gate fees and supply of animal manure at Groot Zevert Vergisting due to a decrease in the number of animals within the Netherlands. Hence, biogas plants need to have a certain level of flexibility to prevent being overtaken by changing market conditions or legislative criteria. This may also include flexibility in terms of energy production. A great example is Benas, which is acting as a so called grid stabilizer, converting biogas into electricity but only if there is a demand on the grid and otherwise storing biogas or converting it into green gas.

Overall, the innovations within they SYSTEMIC project would not have been succeeded without perseverance of the plant owners. Despite all the obstacles that had to be overcome, they do not regret their decision to invest in digestate treatment and nutrient recovery. Followers can benefit from these experiences and detailed information about the plant performances which are being shared on the SYSTEMIC website (www.systemicproject.eu).

[1] FiBL is the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture. An FiBL-certification allows use in organic farming

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Incentives should be value based. The EU Emission Trading System (ETS) correctly assigns a cost to greenhouse gas emissions (EUA Futures) and consequently a value to avoided emissions. Recovering and recycling high efficiency fertilising products from digestate avoids emissions from producing synthetic fertilisers, but biogas plants are not covered by the system. They cannot benefit from avoiding emissions. Since farmers are typically not willing to pay more for highly efficient plant nutrition products than for untreated manure, the additional efforts remain unpaid.

The transition to a net-zero emission economy requires that all actors reduce emissions, farms need to become carbon sequesters instead of carbon emitters. The question is, how can policies create a just framework in which every saved CO₂-equivalent is financially rewarded?

In theory, fertilising product manufacturers who are already covered by the system would save CO₂-certificates, equivalent to 3-4 tons CO_2eq per ton of N representing a current EUA value of € 150-200 per ton of N if they buy and distribute recycled fertilisers. In practice, this would need a certification and clearance body similar to those currently underway for bio-methane, hence additional legislation. Maybe some provisions are foreseen in the updated ETS rules expected for July 2021. However, a system by which biogas plants would be directly compensated if they sell their products locally, directly to farmers or through intermediaries, is not yet on the horizon.

Using untreated biowaste or manure on farmland is typically associated with high greenhouse gas emissions and high nutrient losses to air, water and soil due to low nutrient use efficiencies. The real contribution to global warming is, however, controversially discussed and more research is needed to draw a baseline. The emissions of industrial fertiliser producers have been assessed and are well known. SYSTEMIC plants typically use power and heat from their own conversion processes and products from the market with well-known greenhouse impacts. In some cases, by-products / waste (e.g. REA-gypsum) is used for producing mineral N-fertilisers (ammonium sulphate). Products and processes need to be assessed for their environmental and climate impacts before their real value in terms of CO₂-emission savings is determined.

If the EU is to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, biogas plants producing recovered and recycled nutrients could make a substantial contribution to this goal. Farmers can contribute by avoiding high emission farming practices and fertilisers. At the same time, businesses and farmers that contribute must be fairly rewarded. Convincing strategies are only the beginning of the transition to a circular, climate neutral economy.

[1] SYSTEMIC – Circular Solutions for Biowaste, https://systemicproject.eu/

[2] JRC Publication “Technical proposals for the safe use of processed manure above the threshold established for Nitrate Vulnerable Zones by the Nitrates Directive (91/676/EEC)”  https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC121636

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The agenda of the event:

AGENDA
• Welcome and introduction to SYSTEMIC – Oscar SCHOUMANS, Coordinator of SYSTEMIC, Wageningen University and Research
• The New Circular Economy Action Plan and Nutrient Recovery – William NEALE, European Commission DG Environment, Advisor, Circular Economy and Green Growth
• Nutrient Recovery and the European Parliament report on the New Circular Economy Action Plan- Jan HUITEMA, MEP (was not able to attend)
• Cooperation for a Circular Economy: SYSTEMIC in practice – Oscar SCHOUMANS, Coordinator of SYSTEMIC
• Experience from SYSTEMIC and what is needed at a policy level to enable the development of a recovered nutrient market – Ludwig HERMANN, Member of SYSTEMIC, Proman
• Discussion – moderated by Annabelle WILLIAMS, Member of SYSTEMIC, RISE Foundation
• Closing remarks – Oscar SCHOUMANS

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Thursday 27^th May: 1330-1530 – online webinar

Recovering valuable nutrients from biowaste (food waste, manure, sewage sludge, municipal waste etc.) and adapting them for reuse in agriculture, is fundamental part of shifting European agriculture away from its current linear model and an integral part of the New Circular Economy Action plan.
Experience from the H2020 SYSTEMIC project has shown that the major barrier to the uptake of nutrient recovery and reuse (NRR) is the lack of a market for the recovered products, thereby hindering the financial viability of nutrient recovery and reuse in Europe.
Much progress has taken place over the past months to move this agenda forward, most notably the Fertilising Products Regulation and the SAFEMANURE study and RENURE report linked to the Nitrates Directive. And whilst there remains much work to do on both these policies, things are moving in the right direction. However, this will not be enough.
In this workshop, the H2020 project SYSTEMIC aims to bring together experts and practitioners in the field of nutrient recovery and reuse with policy makers to discuss what else needs to be done to create an enabling policy framework for the advancement of NRR in Europe.

AGENDA
• Welcome and introduction to SYSTEMIC – Oscar SCHOUMANS, Coordinator of SYSTEMIC, Wageningen University and Research
• The New Circular Economy Action Plan and Nutrient Recovery – William NEALE, European Commission DG Environment, Advisor, Circular Economy and Green Growth
• Nutrient Recovery and the European Parliament report on the New Circular Economy Action Plan- Jan HUITEMA, MEP
• Cooperation for a Circular Economy: SYSTEMIC in practice – Oscar SCHOUMANS, Coordinator of SYSTEMIC
• Experience from SYSTEMIC and what is needed at a policy level to enable the development of a recovered nutrient market – Ludwig HERMANN, Member of SYSTEMIC, Proman
• Discussion – moderated by Annabelle WILLIAMS, Member of SYSTEMIC, RISE Foundation
• Closing remarks – Oscar SCHOUMANS

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