Nieuws

KNAP in the media (Dutch articles)

Winning van stikstofmest uit zuiveringsslib lijkt mogelijk; winning fosfaat lukt wellicht https://www.glastuinbouwwaterproof.nl/nieuws/winning-van-stikstofmest-uit-zuiveringsslib-lijkt-mogelijk-en-fosfaat-lukt-wellicht-ook/#_

NOS nieuws: “Aardappels geteeld met menselijke urine: ‘Zuiverder dan dierlijke mest” https://nos.nl/artikel/2541203-aardappels-geteeld-met-menselijke-urine-zuiverder-dan-dierlijke-mest

Focus uitzending:”Menselijke mest” https://npo.nl/start/serie/focus/seizoen-7_1/focus_41/afspelen

Item over KNAP veldproef en urine product (vanaf minuut 49:33) https://www.nporadio1.nl/uitzendingen/eenvandaag/9bd0bd99-eaf4-42de-b374-8087ea48651f/2024-05-29-eenvandaag

Zonde om weg te spoelen? Wat menselijke ontlasting kan bijdragen aan duurzame landbouw https://www.volkskrant.nl/wetenschap/zonde-om-weg-te-spoelen-wat-menselijke-ontlasting-kan-bijdragen-aan-duurzame-landbouw~bc231eab

4Daagsepoep en -plas waardevol: ‘Voor mest in de landbouw’ https://www.gld.nl/nieuws/8179060/4daagsepoep-en-plas-waardevol-voor-mest-in-de-landbouw

Beantwoording Kamervragen over het gat in de voedselkringloop menselijke mest https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/ministeries/ministerie-van-landbouw-natuur-en-voedselkwaliteit/documenten/kamerstukken/2023/07/06/beantwoording-kamervragen-over-het-gat-in-de-voedselkringloop-menselijke-mest

Publications

At the moment there are no publications, but these can be found on our website in the future.

Contact

For more information on this project you can contact the following partners:

• WUR/WENR
  • Kimo van Dijk (project management) +31(0)626596967 / +31(0)638686326
• KWR
  • Frank Oesterholt +31(0)621507897 (financial project management)
  • Kees Roest +31(0)653197741
• LeAF
  • Tiemen Nanninga +31(0)640722019
• Nutrient Platform
  • Jorn Baan Hofman +31 70 304 3707

Intended result

Next to a diversity of cases in which on central and decentral level nutrients are recovered from municipal and industrial waste water, and are being reused, the project is aiming for the delivery of the following items:

• The core is a developed quality system for recycled products and fertilizers from municipal and industrial wastewater.
• Furthermore, a current insight into the largest leaks of macronutrients from the Dutch nutrient system.
• Detailed information on the agricultural value, quality, and safety of the individual recycled fertilizers from the various cases.
• And by the end of the project, we want to have a clear understanding of the existing barriers in legislation and regulations that hinder the optimal valorization of nutrient-rich residual streams and also suggest solutions for these.

It is crucial that there a broad support is developed at the government, companies and knowledge institutes for the developed quality management system and for the realisation of the cases after the research project has been finished.

Challenge and solution

The nutrient cycles in the Netherlands are far away from being closed. One of the ‘biggest leaks’ in the system are the municipal and industrial waste water systems. Although there are ambitions and goals been set in the last 10 years, it turns out that in practice little is being recovered and reused. The further development of systems in which nutrients are being brought back into the (food)cycle are experiencing various barriers at the intersection of technology, knowledge, legislation, collaboration and financial challenges.

Therefore, this project focuses on the integrated closure of the nutrient cycles of macronutrients nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K), and where appropriate, other nutrients, from the municipal and industrial wastewater chain. The goal is to elevate the recovery and reuse of nutrients from wastewater to a higher level so that water boards, fertilizer producers and traders, agriculture, the agri-food industry, and other relevant parties can actually close nutrient loops. The recovered nutrients could potentially address the increasing demand for nutrients due to current discussions on livestock farming regarding herd size, manure production, and derogations. The overall goal of the project is to develop applied knowledge and expertise to safely and sustainably apply wastewater products in a circular agriculture-food-sanitation system.

Problem definition

The PPS project Kringloopsluiting van Nutriënten uit Afvalwater en Proceswater (KNAP) is focusing on closing the nutrient cycles from municipal waste water and industrial waste water systems, in which concepts are development and also in practice the nutrient cycles are closed. The goal is to bring the recovery and reuse of nutrients from waste water in agriculture to a next level. Reuse outside agriculture could also be an option.

To make fries from potatoes, you need large-sized potatoes that have grown well thanks to a healthy soil. Typically, farmers use synthetic fertilizers containing N-P-K: nitrogen (N), phosphate (P), and potassium (K). Plants need these nutrients to grow and produce fruit. However, producing synthetic fertilizers requires a lot of energy and results in high CO₂ emissions. Phosphate, in particular, is becoming increasingly scarce, and global supplies are finite. That’s why it’s important to retain valuable nutrients (like N, P, and K) that naturally occur in our food.

Within the KNAP project, 46 partners are working together to return valuable nutrients from residual streams back to agriculture. In doing so, we close the loop – safely, responsibly, and effectively.

From wastewater treatment to circular fertilizer
Currently, phosphate and many other nutrients end up in wastewater. After the treatment of  this wastewater by water authorities, sewage sludge remains – rich in natural nutrients, but not yet clean enough for direct reuse. Sludge processors such as HVC and SNB already extract heat and energy from this sludge by drying and incineration. The incineration process also destroys and removes pollutants like pathogens, microplastics, and pharmaceutical residues. What remains is a mineral ash full of usable raw materials, from which nutrients are recovered.

ICL uses this ash in the production of Puraloop – a circular phosphate fertilizer that is completely safe, effective, and certified. In this way, a residual product from the water purification chain gets a second life on the land. And it contributes sustainably to a fertile soil for the potato – and thus also for the fries.

Field trial: circular and effective
Together with our partners, KNAP carried out a field trial with potato cultivation. Fourteen innovative recovered fertilizers were applied, including one already approved for the market: Puraloop.

The results from these fouteen test fields are promising: healthy potato plants with a strong harvest, and a proven contribution to circular agriculture.

We are therefore happy to share both the results and the fries made from potatoes grown in the trial field fertilized with Puraloop. This demonstrates that high-quality recycling is not only possible – it also pays off.

Why not all residual streams are being used yet
Although more and more circular fertilizers are becoming available, many nutrient streams remain unused. Why? Technical challenges, legislation, and the need for up-scaling.

One example of an untapped stream is the nutrients found in process water from the agri-food industry – such as the potato processor that makes your fries, as well as breweries and dairy factories. This process water, used during food production, is rich in valuable nutrients and minerals. When it can no longer be used, it ends up in water treatment. While cleaner than domestic wastewater, it still contains too many nutrients to be discharged and thus needs purification. During purification, the nutrients are consumed by bacteria, which clean the water. The nutrients remain in what is called ‘aerobic biomass’. Currently, this nutrient rich biomass is also incinerated, just like sludge. But wouldn’t direct use be more efficient?

Within the KNAP project, we are also exploring how this biomass can be used as a source for safe, circular, and natural fertilizers. This way, we bring the hidden value of the agri-food industry back to the land – and close the loop.

Together, we complete the cycle
At KNAP, we work on solutions – from innovation to policy – so that more and more of these residual streams, such as aerobic biomass, can safely return to the land.

This collaboration between HVC, SNB, Lamb Weston, ICL, and the Nutrient Platform shows that it can be done: using residual streams to grow new, healthy crops. From ash from water treatment to nutrients for potato plants – from waste to valuable, sustainable fertilizer. Together, we are building an agriculture that makes smarter use of our resources – and is ready for the future.

The Nutrient Platform is a cross-sectoral network of Dutch organizations concerned about the global impact of nutrient issues and the general way in which nutrients are managed.

The Nutrient Platform was established in 2011, starting with the signing of the Phosphorus Cycle Agreement. The platform emerged from the Nutrient Flow Task Group (NFTG), created in 2008 by a network of parties concerned about phosphorus depletion and its international impact. The NFTG’s secretariat was hosted by the Netherlands Water Partnership. In 2009, the need for a separate platform was expressed, and in 2010, a strategic plan was developed to establish the platform.

MISSION, VISION, AND CORE VALUES

The Mission

“To create the conditions for the required transition towards sustainable and economical nutrient use.” These conditions are created through a cyclical action-learning process of market interventions, effective lobbying with policymakers, defining market conditions, stimulating research, and forging new partnerships.

The Vision

The vision of the Nutrient Platform is: “To have a sustainable future in which the bio-economy is based on the carrying capacity of our planet.”

The platform is driven by the challenges of Dutch urbanization and intensive agriculture and aims to develop policies and market solutions that contribute to managing future global shortages as well as local surpluses. More importantly, it seeks to facilitate the transition to sustainable nutrient management.

Core Values of the Platform:

• Trust: The platform plays an independent role in promoting nutrient recycling and does not represent the interests of individual stakeholders.
• Focus on Acceleration: The platform facilitates connections between policymakers, researchers, and new business initiatives. The members come from various parts of the value chain, enabling work on new solutions.
• Diversity, Inclusivity, and Cohesion: The platform brings together actors from various sectors, which leads to breaking down traditional sector barriers.
• European and Global Reach: The platform consists of Dutch organizations, but most work in an international context regarding nutrients. Additionally, the nutrient issue is a global concern.

TIMELINE

In 2011, the Nutrient Platform, together with the Dutch government, took on the responsibility of supporting organizations across the entire value chain in closing the phosphorus cycle, initially based on the Phosphorus Cycle Agreement. The agreement was signed by 20 organizations and formed the foundation for the further development of the Nutrient Platform.

The platform’s ambitions were broader than just the Netherlands, which is why in 2013, the first European Sustainable Phosphorus Conference was organized. This conference led to the establishment of the European Sustainable Phosphorus Platform (ESPP).

Over the years, the platform’s focus broadened to include other nutrients such as nitrogen and micronutrients.

In 2016, the Nutrient Ambition 2018 was launched, with individual ambitions from platform members to further promote nutrient recycling.

The platform continues to bring members together and encourage cross-sectoral collaboration. One of the most recent successes are the MIK- project and the follow-up research project (KNAP) in which members and other sector organisations work together on closing nutrient cycles.

Project: Closing nutrient cycles from

municipal and industrial waste water

In this cross-sectoral project within the TKI Watertechnologie and TKI Agri & Food, are the research partners WUR/WENR, KWR and LeAF working together with a broad range of partners from the public and private sector, on closing the nutrient cycles of communal waste water and industrial waste water. The consortium leader is the Nutrient Platform, an initiative of the Netherlands Water Partnership.

Within 9 diverse cases (of which 5 municipal waste water and four industrial waste water) is being worked on mapping the recyclable fertilisers (quantitative and qualitative), their agronomic value and the potential market opportunities. Overarching work is being done on a quality system with criteria based on which recycled fertilizers can be assessed.

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