1st abonocare® Conference in Leipzig
Linking innovative processes and technologies for nutrient recovery
The targeted processing of organic residues into valuable products instead of just "disposing" of them - this is the goal that 18 small and medium-sized companies and research institutes from the Central German region have set for themselves. In the regional growth core abonocare®, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), they combine innovative strength to develop closed technology and value-added chains from residual material to product.
The project was presented to an interested specialist audience (from science, SMEs, agriculture, administration) at a two-day conference in Leipzig at the beginning of March. The focus was on the recovery of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, which are often lost along with the residual materials. This requires new technologies, which are to be developed to market maturity within the framework of the abonocare® project and ultimately also applied commercially.
Against the background of new legal requirements, the conference discussed possible process approaches for the recovery of phosphorus, which is an essential fertilizer component in agriculture. Natural phosphorus resources will be exhausted in the foreseeable future and are also increasingly contaminated with heavy metals. This will lead to higher costs for agriculture in the medium and long term. However, phosphorus is contained in economically-significant quantities in sewage sludge and other organic residues, which suggests that nutrient cycles should be closed.
Various methods for nitrogen recovery were also discussed. These are of interest against the backdrop of the new fertilizer ordinance, which mandates that the efficiency of fertilization must be improved and nitrogen surpluses in agriculture reduced. The aim should therefore be to return the nutrient potential contained in the residual materials to the economic cycle by means of recycling. The interdisciplinary concepts for this have already been developed. They are to be optimized within the framework of abonocare® with a view to commercial implementation.
Development of technology chains for processing organic residues
GICON® Managing Director Dr. Hagen Hilse draws a positive balance of the work done so far in the growth core and the conference, but urges the bringing together of the wide-ranging interests of all players: “Closed-loop recycling management and sustainability have become much more important. Too many nutrients that could be used as fertilizer in agriculture are lost with today's disposal and recycling methods. We want to use this untapped economic potential. To this end, we must in future further intensify the exchange and reconciliation of interests between politics, science and industry.”
Cross-company networking and creation of technology chains using configurator Software
The main development goal of abonocare® is the practical testing of individual technology chains and their combination to create viable practical solutions. For the latter, a configurator software with a raw material and technology database is being used in the growth core to create a platform for the technological and economic networking in the areas of residual materials recycling and fertilizer production.
Further background information on GICON®'s involvement in the project can be found in our press release dated 25.10.2019 and at www.abonocare.de.