Iris Publishers- Open access Journal of Agriculture and Soil Science | Nutrients Recovered from Organic Residues as
Fertilizers: Challenges to Management and Research
Methods
Authored by Bente Foereid
Biofertilizers, fertilizers made from organic residues, could replace
some mineral fertilizers, reducing energy consumption and
resource mining. The main treatment options are composting, anaerobic
digestion, drying, pyrolysis and combustion, they can
be used alone or in combination. The quality of biofertilizers depend
both on the original residue and on the treatment, but in
most cases not all the nutrients are immediately available to plants. It
is difficult to predict how available the nutrients are, and
when they will become available. The methods to assess and predict
nutrient availability are reviewed. Furthermore, the effect
of biofertilizers on the environment in the form of nutrient losses and
greenhouse gas emissions are reviewed and compared to
mineral fertilizers. There is a need to produce biofertilizers with
better and more predictable qualities, and also to understand their
effects over multiple seasons.
Many organic waste streams have high nutrient content. Recent years have seen increasing restriction on release of such waste to the environment, due to risk of eutrophication and other environmental problems [1-4]. However, current management usually only considers this aspect, and not the recycling of nutrients as resources to replace mineral fertilizers. Production of mineral fertilizers is energy intensive, particularly fixation of nitrogen [5,6] and mine mineral resources in a way that is not sustainable in the long run. Particularly phosphorus that is estimated to run out in the next few centuries [7,8]. Potassium is also only mined in Europe and Canada, making it difficult for developing countries to get it at affordable prices [9]. It is therefore necessary to develop better systems to recycle nutrients in organic waste streams beck to agriculture to replace mineral fertilizers. There are a number of obstacles to this and needs for both research and societal changes [10,11].
Fertilizers based on organic residues are known under many names, e.g. organic fertilizers, biofertilizers. The term “organic fertilizers can be misinterpreted to mean “fertilizers for organic agriculture”, and although organic agriculture may be the most important user (see below) the goal has to be that fertilizers based on organic rest products should be used also outside organic agriculture. Further, current regulations prohibit the use of certain organic rest products (e.g. sewage) in organic agriculture. The term “organic” also excludes ash and precipitates, so “organically based” will be a better term, but maybe too long. However, in this paper I will use the term biofertilizer. It is meant to cover all fertilizers and products used as fertilizers and soil improver of organic origin.
To read more...Open Access Journals of Agriculture and Soil Sciences
To view more Journals...Iris Publishers
Many organic waste streams have high nutrient content. Recent years have seen increasing restriction on release of such waste to the environment, due to risk of eutrophication and other environmental problems [1-4]. However, current management usually only considers this aspect, and not the recycling of nutrients as resources to replace mineral fertilizers. Production of mineral fertilizers is energy intensive, particularly fixation of nitrogen [5,6] and mine mineral resources in a way that is not sustainable in the long run. Particularly phosphorus that is estimated to run out in the next few centuries [7,8]. Potassium is also only mined in Europe and Canada, making it difficult for developing countries to get it at affordable prices [9]. It is therefore necessary to develop better systems to recycle nutrients in organic waste streams beck to agriculture to replace mineral fertilizers. There are a number of obstacles to this and needs for both research and societal changes [10,11].
Fertilizers based on organic residues are known under many names, e.g. organic fertilizers, biofertilizers. The term “organic fertilizers can be misinterpreted to mean “fertilizers for organic agriculture”, and although organic agriculture may be the most important user (see below) the goal has to be that fertilizers based on organic rest products should be used also outside organic agriculture. Further, current regulations prohibit the use of certain organic rest products (e.g. sewage) in organic agriculture. The term “organic” also excludes ash and precipitates, so “organically based” will be a better term, but maybe too long. However, in this paper I will use the term biofertilizer. It is meant to cover all fertilizers and products used as fertilizers and soil improver of organic origin.
To read more...Open Access Journals of Agriculture and Soil Sciences
To view more Journals...Iris Publishers
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