From Digestate to Renewable Fertilizers

GRUPPO RICICLA DiSAA - University Milan

Soil and Environment Lab. , via Celoria 2, 20133 Milano – ItalyBiomass and Bioenergy Lab., Parco Tecnologico Padano, Via Einstein, Loc. C.na Codazza, 26900 Lodi, Italy.

Tel.02 503 16546 Fax. 02 503 16521http://users.unimi.it/ricicla - e-mail: gruppo.ricicla@unimi.it

F. Adani et al.,

LOMBARDIA MEETS ZUID HOLLANDBILATERAL WORKSHOP, October 14, 2016

The context……………

Lombardy Region…. one of the more industrialized and intensively cultivated area of Europe:

- Lombardy region: 0.56 % of EU27 land;

- Lombardy Region: 1.9 % of EU27 population;

- Lombardy Region: 2.7% of EU27 GDP (e.g. the same of Belgium or Sweden).

Pop. 9.800.000 inhabit.

Total agricultural land: ca .1 x 106 Ha…

Animals consistency in Lombardy :

-1,553,782 cow (30% Italy)

- 4,857,700 pigs (40% Italy)

- 36,161,319 poultry

- 91,800 Sheep….others

From: Ferrara, 2009

Environmental problem coming from animal breeding

Nitrogen surplus in EU

da G. Provolo, 2011

da G. Provolo, 2011

Details of Po valley, Italy

Ammonia in air

1 ammonia volatilization form slurry/manure

2 NH3 react with sulfuric acid and nitric acid giving secondary particulate:

ammonia sulfate

ammonia bisulfate

ammonia nitrate

4 PM 2.5

NH3 : contributed to PM 2.5

FINDING solution..

BIOGAS PLANTS

• 400 Plants are operating in Lombardy

….thank to incentive gettingthe EU Rules an Regional politics: 20-20-20

Anaerobic digestion

BIOFUELS

Anaerobic digestion: modification of both elements and organic matter contained ……so that it becomes a fertilizers

Grape Wine

Milk Cheese

Beer Barley

Biomethane + fertilizers

Ingestate (e.g. animal slurry)

Biological processes

Stabilità biologica

Com

posizione chimica

INGESTATO

COMPOST

DIGESTATO

FANGO

Stabilità biologica

Com

posizione chimica

INGESTATO

COMPOST

DIGESTATO

FANGObiosolid

digestate

ingestate

compostBiologicla stability

Min

eral

com

posit

ion

Good organic amendment

Potere fertilizzante

DIGESTATO

FANGOCOMPOST

INGESTATO

Potere fertilizzante

Potere fertilizzante

DIGESTATO

FANGOCOMPOST

INGESTATO

Potere fertilizzante

+ N tot e P

+ N-NH4 , P e K

Good fertilizer

ingestate

digestate

biosolid

compost

Fertilizer value

Fertilizer value

Digestate is a good fertilizes and amendment

Agronomic use of liquid separated fraction of digestate

Full scale trial: 2008-2012

Maize silage trialsFarm A Farm B

0

10

20

30

40

50

T 1 T 2 T 3 T 4

Yie

ld(t

ha

-1)

Farm A: maize silage in the different thesesT1 = no fertilization – cover: no fertilizationT2 = superficial raw digestate - injected raw digestateT3 = urea - ureaT4 = injected raw digestate – injected digestate liquidfraction

0

10

20

30

40

50

T 1 T 2 T 3 T 4Y

ield

(t h

a -1

)Farm B: maize silage in the different thesesT1 = no fertilization - localized fertilizationT2 = Superfilcial raw digestate- localizedfertilizationT3 = urea - localized fertilizationT4 = Injected raw digestate - localized fertilization

injected digestate

Riva et al., 2016

Chemical characteristics N-NH4 > 70%

N efficiency 90%

Liquid Fraction Digestate= N fertilizers if:

Proposal: Gruppo Ricicla and Regione Lombardia:

Visto il parere circostanziato della Commissione, emessoai sensi dell’art. 6, paragrafo 2, della direttiva (UE)

n. 2015/1535 del Parlamento europeo e del Consiglio del9 settembre 2015, con il quale la Commissione ha rilevatoche l’art. 32 «Condizioni di equiparabilità del digestato aiconcimi di origine chimica» dello schema notificato, non

è conforme alle disposizioni della direttiva nitrati;Ritenuto di dover recepire il parere della Commissione

e di dover quindi eliminare l’art. 32 ed il connesso art. 33dello schema di decreto;

Full scale trial: 2013-2016(in collaboration with ERSAF)Two farms.

DiSAA and ERSAF

Tesi Pre-sowing Top dressing

C1Pig slurry

300 (165eff) kg N ha-1

Urea132 (132 N eff.) kg N ha-1

C2Liquid Frac. Digestate178 (160eff.) kg N ha-1

Liquid. Frac. Digestate153 (138eff.) kg N ha-1

Fertilization plan

pH TKN(g kg-1 tq)

TAN(g kg-1 tq)

TAN/TKN(%)

ST(% tq)

SV(% ST)

P(mg kg-1 ST)

K(mg kg-1 ST)

Liquame suino

6.00±0.6 3.46±0.09 57.7 8±0.23 72.3±0.1 32912±2817 35527±1332

Dig. Sep. Liq.

Presemina3.95±0.07 2.77±0.02 70.1 4.72±0.11 63.7±0.1 29652±35 72667±1552

Dig. Sep. Liq.

Copertura3.83±0.16 2.86±0.01 74.7 6.17±0.08 60.9±0.1 In analisi In analisi

Pig slurry and digestate charateristics

DiSAA and ERSAF

Yiled(Mg ha-1)

C1 42.1C2 50.2

Maize Yield

Riva et al., 2016 Progetto NERØ

NH3 Digestate use

0100200300400500600700800900

1000110012001300140015001600170018001900200021002200230024002500

13/5 14/5 15/5 16/5 17/5 18/5 19/5 20/5 21/5 22/5 23/5 24/5

BKG - media μg NH3/m3Tesi 2 - media μg NH3/m3

Injected

Superficial

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

0 1 2 3 4 5 6

Emiss

ion

NH 3

(mg

l-1da

y-1)

Days from manuring

C1

C2

Ammonia emission during top dressing fertilization: C1 UREA and C2: liquid fraction of digestate.

UREA

Liq. Frac. Digestate

ERSAF-DiSAA, 2016

Dieterich et al, 2008

CAN: ammonia nitrate

2724

218

599

704

11329

7244

1513

5121

0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 9000 10000 11000 12000

C1 (Liq. Suino superficiale)

C2 (Dig. Sep. Liq. iniettato)

C1 (Urea)

C2 (Dig. Sep. Liq. Iniettato)

Liquame suino

Dig. Sep. Liq.presemina

Urea

Dig. Sep. Liq.coperturaPr

esem

ina

Cope

rtur

aLa

bora

torio

OU m-2 h-1

Odor emission during fertilization

Liq. Fract Dig. Injec. Urea Pig slurry

DiSAA and ERSAF

If N overload plants request:

Anaerobic digestion allow N (and P) recovery…….

………Full scale plant “Made in Lombardy”

e.g. stripping plant

N removal producing N fertilizers

Ammonia stripping

(NH4)SO4 = 6-8 % NCost : 2-3 €/m3

Cortesia Eliopig

Ammonia sulfate production by NH3 stripping

Cortesia Eliopig

Ultrafiltration + reverse osmosi + cold stripping

(NH4)SO4 = 8 % N50-80 % clean waterCost : 4-6 €/m3

Untreated After ultrafiltration After reverse osmosi

Biomass Pellets:

Phot

o: e

nter

prise

-eur

ope-

netw

ork.

ec.e

urop

a.eu

used for combustion or as a fertilizer

requires drying then pelletizing machines

• Reduction in volume• Visually more attractive• Improved marketability• Hygienization (>70°C, for 1hour)• Transport-ready product

ADVANTAGES:

Traditional use of fertilizers

Traditional use implemented for emission

reduction

Renewable Fertilizers® protocols

Environmanetal impact of digestate use in substitution of shyntetic fertilizers.

Name, Surname, Position Logo(s)

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT AND SUSTAINABLE MODEL

Dairy: energy and organic matter consumption, waste production

Field phase:fodder production

Stable:feed ration optimization Effluent management

LIFE DOP - Demonstrative mOdel of circular economy Process in high quality dairy industry

Renewable fertilizers from organic wastes

• 4,000 Ha fertilized

• Minimum Tillage

• Precision Agriculture (GPS)