REFERTIL: reducing mineral fertilizers and chemicals use in agriculture by recycling treated organic waste as compost and bio-char products

The REFERTIL project (FP7 contract no.: 289785) is developing safe and economical biochar quality criteria for EU policy support and proposal for possible inclusion of the biochar case into the EU FERTILIZER REGULATION revision (EC 2003/2003). The objective driven goal of this SME farmer targeted applied science and technology project is to reduce mineral fertilisers and chemicals use in agriculture by recycling treated organic waste as biochar and compost products, with particular attention to the recovery of nutrients, such as Phosphorous and Nitrogen. Input bio waste steams with economical importance are identified in the EU28, qualified and quantified. Available commercial biochar technologies and products detailed accessed, from which 7 biochar technologies selected for best available technology evaluation. 2000 tons of compost and 30 tons of different types of biochar processed between 2012 and 2015. Different types of compost and biochar field tested under different climatic/soil conditions with different food crop plants. Evaluations made for biochar safety, economy, agri-industrial usefulness, EU and Member State legal aspects, environmental and climate impacts, market acceptance and overall benefits. During 2011 through 2013 the REFEERTIL has been significantly improving the application oriented biochar science and technology systems. In this context, sustainable feed materials identified, advanced industrial biochar technologies improved and developed, overall risk and accredited laboratory assessments made, wide range of field tests performed, safe biochar product performances technically and legally determined (including REACH legislation) with recommended maximum allowable limit specifications and user oriented economical application scenarios. Safe compost and biochar quality standards and trading requirements established with clear technical, environmental and safety definition. Two major types of commercial biochar developed, such as the lignocellulose (plant and forestry by-products) based high carbon content biochar soil improver with usual application doses 5 t/ha to 20 t/ha and the food grade animal bone based high P mineral content “ABC” Animal Bone bioChar organic P fertilizer with usual application doses 0.2 t/ha to 0.6 t/ha. Two different biochar mandatory EU law harmonization levels are proposed, such as EU FERTILIZER REGULATION biomass by-product input based biochar with MS mutually recognized quality and MS mandatory determination of the biochar standards made form input waste streams according to the Waste Framework Directive and the End-of-Waste criterion cases. If biomass by-product input based biochar complies with the requirements for soil improver or organic fertilizer, the producer will have the choice to market this product as soil improver or organic fertilizers or both.