Quality Assurance as a tool to enhance marketing … · fresh and mature compost Digestates...
Transcript of Quality Assurance as a tool to enhance marketing … · fresh and mature compost Digestates...
Quality Assurance as a tool to enhancemarketing opportunities
Dr. Stefanie SiebertBundesgütegemeinschaft Kompost e.V.Session 6 – The added value of biological treatment:Quality and marketing of outputsISWA BEACON CONFERENCE 10th - 12th May 2006
Quality Assurance in GermanyBundegütegemeinschaft Kompost e.V. is a self-obligatorymeasurement of the industry and is recognised by theresponsible legal authorities.
Since 1991 the RAL quality assurance is establishedin Germany.
RAL-quality labels identify a standardised and checkedproduct.
The requirements were defined in co-ordination withproducers, applicants and official institutions.
Tragets of quality assurance
Targets Precondition
• specification of products with a guaranteed homogenous quality
• enhancement of product qualtiyand operation quality
• guarantee for a successful use of the products and promotion of thegood practical use
• deregulation and recognition of certified products by legal authorities, in agricultural systemsand by food processing industry
• promotion of the re-use of waste„from waste to product““
• The producer must have thereadiness to invest in qualityassurance.
• A consumer demand for certifiedporducts should be exist.
• The reduction of requirements for theproducer with quality assured products
• The equivalence of recycling productsand primary products
Quality Products in Germany
Compost products (RAL-GZ 251):fresh and mature compost
Digestates products (RAL-GZ 256/1):solid and liquid digestates
Composted sludge products (RAL-GZ 258):sludge-based mature compost, sludge-based fresh compost
Quality Assurance Labels in Germany
RAL-GZ 256/1
RAL-GZ 258
RAL-GZ 251
12 plants
433 plants43 plants
State of composting in Germany
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Composting plants
Marketing structure
Current marketing situationfor compost in Germany
Hobby gardening 12 %Substrate industry 14 %
Landscaping 19 %Agriculture 45 %
Market gardening 10 %
Product certification
Includes
the RAL-quality label
Product name and input materials
Product declaration in accordance with the German fertiliser regulation
Accordance with legal requirements
Rapport about the analyis results
Fertiliser calculation
Application requirements (agriculture, landscaping, recultivation)
Advantages of Quality Assurance
§§ BioAbfV§§ BioAbfV
Hygienic harmlessness § 3
Amount of heavy metals § 4
Application requirements §§ 6, 7, 8
Hygienische Unbedenklichkeit § 3
Gehalte an Schwermetallen § 4
Vorgaben zur Anwendung §§ 6, 7, 8
Bodenuntersuchungen § 9
Behördliche Kontrolle §§ 3, 4
Nachweise der Verwertung § 11
Hygienische Unbedenklichkeit § 3
Gehalte an Schwermetallen § 4
Vorgaben zur Anwendung §§ 6, 7, 8
Bodenuntersuchungen § 9
Behördliche Kontrolle §§ 3, 4
Nachweise der Verwertung § 11
Hygienic harmlessness § 3
Amount of heavy metals § 4
Application requirements §§ 6, 7, 8
Soil investigations § 9
Official control §§ 3, 4
Documented evidence of utilization § 11
Without Quality Assurance With Quality Assurance
§§ BioAbfV§§ BioAbfV
QAS as an important marketing tool
In several food processing industries only quality assuredcompost products are allowed:
Sugar beet industryQAS crop growingOrganic farming system
In enviromental conventions of potential risk areas:
Water protection areas
European Quality Assurance System
Harmonisation of the compost quality acrossEuropeHarmonisation of quality assurance schemesacross EuropeAssistance to build up national quality assuranceschemesPreparation of a proposal which allows on EU levelthe monitoring of the end-of-waste criteria forcompost in the WFD
Concept of the ECN-QAS
Input Materials
Operation Quality
Product Quality
Positiv-list
Check-list
Product control
ProductCertification
Applicationrequirements
NationalQuality Assurance
Organisation
Operation quality
Operation qualityis characterised by
suitable input materialsoperation conditions for sanitizationgood-practice of plant management (reduction of
odour emissions, effective separation of impurities
Operation controlis proved by NQAO by an annual plant inspection
Check-list for inspectionInspection protocol
Product quality
Range of end products
Product requirementsvaluable quality criteriaprecautionary
environmental criteria
Product analysis
Products of ECN-QAS
Compost
Digestate
• mature compost• fresh compost
• liquid digestate• solid digestate
Sludge
Mulch
• sludge• sludge compost, sludge soil
• bark mulch• wood mulch
Range of Products
Product requirements – valuable criteria
Quality criteria Parameter Requirements Remarks Methods
Soil improvement
Organic matter
Alkaline effective matter
min. 15 %
Declaration
15 % = border to soil
Alkaline Ca and Mg
loss of ignition (GV)
BGK, VDLUFA
Fertilizing Nitrogen (N) total Phosphate (P) total Potassium (K) total Magnesium (Mg) total
Nitrogen soluble (N) Nitrogen (NH4-N) Nitrogen (NO3-N)
Declaration Declaration Declaration Declaration
Declaration
soluble N = sum of NH4-N and NO3-N
Dumas method aqua regia method aqua regia method aqua regia method
Material- properties
Grain size
Bulk density Water content
Salinity, conductivity pH value
fine or medium
Declaration max. (to define)
Declaration Declaration
0 ->12 mm or 0 - >25 mm in relation to OM (?)
Biological parameters
Degradation rate Plant Response
to define min. 90 %
Dewar max. 40 °C in a 25%-mixture
Self heating, Dewar or CO2 release or oxigen consumption plant growth test with barley, cress or others in relation to a standard substrate
Product requirements – precautionary criteria
Quality criteria Parameter Requirements Remarks Methods
Hygiene Process temperature
Salmonellae
55 °C / 2 weeks 65 °C / 1 week
none in 25 g
Temperature/ time-document.
end product test
HORIZONTAL
Undesired ingredients and properties
Pollutants: precautionary limit values
Impurities (content)
Germinable seeds and plant parts
Pb Cd Cr Cu Ni Hg Zn
max: 0,5 % dm
max. 2/litre
130 mg/kg dm 1.3 mg/kg dm 60 mg/kg dm 110 mg/kg dm 40 mg/kg dm
0.45 mg/kg dm 400 mg/kg dm
HORIZONTAL BGK
Product analysis
Periodic sampling and analysing by an acknowledgedlab
Test/analysing methods
Lab qualification
Product certification
Annual Product Certificate
• is based on the product analysis of the last year
• includes the declaration and application requirements
• includes the supervision of national and EU regulations
• includes the national quality label and the ECN-QAS label