Post on 22-Jul-2020
Compost Council of Canada BC Workshop 2014
Producing Organic Based
Fertilizers from Biosolids
John Paul
Transform Compost Systems
Compost Council of Canada BC Workshop 2014
Producing Organic Based
Fertilizers from Biosolids
Organic based fertilizers – a
blend of organic and chemical
fertilizers.
In organic based fertilizers, the
organic fraction protects the
inorganic components by means
of binding and absorption,
thereby slowing the rate of
release of plant nutrients.
FAO 2007
Compost Council of Canada BC Workshop 2014
Producing Organic Based Fertilizers from
Biosolids (phosphorus recycling for a sustainable planet)
• Phosphorus resources are finite
• Phosphorus fertilizers contain heavy metals and
radioactivity
• Excess phosphorus impacts our waters
• The Fraser Valley has a large phosphorus surplus
• Biosolids contain significant nitrogen and phosphorus
• How best do we recycle our biosolids to utilize nitrogen
and phosphorus (and help sustain our planet)?
Compost Council of Canada BC Workshop 2014
Phosphorus Resources are Finite
Phosphorus Resources Reserves (“easily” extractable) (more difficult and costly to extract)
(million metric tonnes)
USA 1,800 49,000
China 3,700 16,800
Morocco 51,000 170,000
Total 60,000 290,000
Extractable phosphate rock – at worst 60% chance of depletion by 2100
(International Fertilizer Development Center 2010)
Compost Council of Canada BC Workshop 2014
Phosphorus Sources Contain Heavy Metals
and Radionuclides
Heavy Metals in Phosphate Rock
As Cd Cr Pb Ni V
(mg /kg of phosphate rock)
USA 12 11 109 12 37 82
Morocco 11 30 225 7 26 87
Avg of 91% of resources 11 25 188 10 29 88
Average Uranium content of phosphate rock – 50-200 ppm
Morocco has 91% of the worlds uranium reserves (in the phosphate rock)
Kongshaug et al. 1992
In J. J. Mortvedt and and J. D. Beaton National Fertilizer and Environmental Research Center
Compost Council of Canada BC Workshop 2014
Phosphorus Sources Contain Radionuclides
Radioactivity is similar in
range with other phosphorus
plants, and are below the
recommended limit by the
International Commission on
Radiological Protection as
the maximum annual does
to members of the public
El-Taher and Makhluf, 2010
Compost Council of Canada BC Workshop 2014
Excess Phosphorus Applications Impacts our
Waters
Phosphorus usually most limiting nutrient for growth of aquatic
vegetation in fresh water –
- reduced solar radiation
- increased production of toxins
- decreased dissolved oxygen content
All of the above are detrimental to fish
N is often most limiting in salt water, but excess P thought to
contribute to hypoxia zone in the Gulf of Mexico
Plant and Soil Sciences elibrary
Compost Council of Canada BC Workshop 2014
The Fraser Valley Has a Very Large Surplus of
Phosphorus
Fraser Valley Phosphorus Balance – Agriculture
Inputs to Farms - fertilizer 825 tonnes/yr
- feed 4602 tonnes/yr
Exports from Farms 1677 tonnes/yr
Surplus 3750 tonnes/yr (applied to soil) Bittman, AAFC 2011
15% of the total phosphorus extracted from nature for the
provision of food is eventually ingested by humans and the
rest is lost to the environment (Suh and Yee, 2011)
Compost Council of Canada BC Workshop 2014
Where does the Phosphorus Go in our
Communities in the Lower Fraser Valley?
1. Food waste (Estimated 900 tonnes of P in
600,000 tonnes of organics per
year)
2. Biosolids (Estimated 340 tonnes of P in
100,000 tonnes of biosolids per
year)
Compost Council of Canada BC Workshop 2014
Recycling Phosphorus in Biosolids
• Biosolids growing medium
• Composting to produce soil products
• Silviculture
• Minesite reclamation
• Nutrients for agriculture
Biosolids contain 4-5% N and > 3-5% P2O5. Is soil
manufacture really the best and most sustainable home for
this product?
Compost Council of Canada BC Workshop 2014
1996 Research - Producing Organic Based
Fertilizer From a Blend of Biosolids and Poultry
Litter
J.W Paul and J.A Houtin 1998 –
presented at a biosolids conference in
Seattle
J.A. Houtin and J.W Paul 1998 – poster
at AIC conference
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Compost Council of Canada BC Workshop 2014
Composting System for Producing Biosolids
Fertilizer
Paul and Hountin 1998
Compost Council of Canada BC Workshop 2014
Temperatures of Composting Biosolids
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
12-May 19-May 26-May 02-Jun 09-Jun 16-Jun
Tem
pera
ture
(oC
)
25% Poultry litter
10% Poultry litter
Ambient
Paul and Hountin 1998
Compost Council of Canada BC Workshop 2014
Characteristics of Biosolids (before and after composting)
After Composting (6 wks) with:
Raw Biosolids 10% broiler litter 25% broiler litter
Coliforms (CFU/W.W) 460,000 58 <3
pH 6.9 7.3 7.2
Total Solids (%) 25 27 62
Volatile Solids (%) 20 16 42
Total N (%) 4.2 3.5 3.5
Ammonium (mg kg-1) 5967 5687 7344
Nitrate (mg kg-1) <.5 1.2 12.3
Aluminum (mg kg-1) 25,000 21,900 12,900
Cadmium (mg kg-1) 3.1 2.4 1.7
Copper (mg kg-1) 1710 1750 1220
Lead (mg kg-1) 165 69 44
Mercury (mg kg-1) 7.87 5.43 3.32
Zinc (mg kg-1) 934 986 827
Paul and Hountin 1998
Compost Council of Canada BC Workshop 2014
Fertilizer Produced from Biosolids (6-4-4)
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada 1998
Compost Council of Canada BC Workshop 2014
Ryegrass was grown in pots in greenhouse
Julien Hountin,
PhD
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada 1998
Compost Council of Canada BC Workshop 2014
Four cuts of Ryegrass were harvested
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada 1998
Compost Council of Canada BC Workshop 2014
Ryegrass growth and nutrient
uptake (greenhouse experiment)
Fertilizer Plant Yield N uptake P uptake
g pot-1
mg N pot-1
mg P pot-1
Control 2.8 70 16.8
Inorganic 5.7 193 33.4
Biosolids 7.0 268 34.8
Organic 6.9 260 31.6
Hountin and Paul 1998
Compost Council of Canada BC Workshop 2014
Conclusions from 1996 Research
• Organic based fertilizers produced
with biosolids outperformed
inorganic fertilizer
• Composting process with Class B
biosolids met requirements of the
Fertilizer Act
• Significant phosphorus was
available from the biosolids fertilizer
• Biosolids based fertilizer contained
significantly less contaminants than
some fertilizers sourced from rock
phosphate
Compost Council of Canada BC Workshop 2014
Biosolids Fertilizer - Summary
• Utilizing nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients in biosolids in
fertilizers provides a more sustainable use of this resource.
• Fertilizer production does not require Class A biosolids,
thereby reducing costs for the wastewater plants.
• Fertilizer production is more likely to reduce
pharmaceuticals and other substances of concern in
biosolids because of the composting process.
• Fertilizer production from biosolids recycles a finite resource
(phosphorus).
• Fertilizer production from biosolids results in lower
application rates than soil production, reducing phosphorus
loading in soil and its potential impact on water quality.