Presentation at the 3rd European Nutrient Event (ENE3) at Ecomondo 2018, 8 - 9 November, Rimini, Italy - Towards circular economy of phosphorus and other nutrients Co-organised by the European Sustainable Phosphorus Platform (ESPP) and Horizon 2020 project SMART-Plant. More information www.smart-plant.eu/ENE3 www.phosphorusplatform.eu

1. Nutrient and water recycling through
the management of manure: the case
history of Lombardy Region
Gabriele Boccasile – Regione Lombardia
3rd EUROPEAN NUTRIENT EVENT @ ECOMONDO 2018
8 - 9 November 2018, Rimini, Italy
www.smart-plant.eu/ENE3

3. BIOGAS PLANTS 2018
• >400 operating

4. Anaerobic Digestionion
as a tool
(circular economy
+
sustainability)

5. . . ANAEROBIC
DIGESTION:
Digestate (!!!)
+
Biogas (!)

8. Aria ambiente
Aria esposta a
digestato
Aria esposta a
biomasse e liquame
ODORI
Aspetto qualitativo
Misure al naso elettronico
I digestati presentano una
impronta odorigena piu’ vicina
all’aria ambiente

9. INGESTATO
DIGESTATO
0,00
1,00
2,00
3,00
4,00
5,00
6,00
IMPIANTO 1
IMPIANTO 2
IMPIANTO 3
IMPIANTO 4
IMPIANTO 5
Escherichia coli : Log10 CFU ml
INGESTATO
DIGESTATO
Gruppo Ricicla- Ist. Zooprofilattico di BS- Regione Lombardia, 2012

10. INGESTATO
DIGESTATO
0,00
1,00
2,00
3,00
4,00
5,00
6,00
IMPIANTO 1
IMPIANTO 2
IMPIANTO 3
IMPIANTO 4
IMPIANTO 5
Clostridium perfrigens: Log10 CFU ml
INGESTATO DIGESTATO
Gruppo Ricicla- Ist. Zooprofilattico di BS- Regione Lombardia, 2012

11. • Anaerobic digestion: useful biotechnology able to transform the nutrients
contained into plant-available forms so that digestate can replace mineral
fertilizers.
• The treatment of livestock effluents by anaerobic digestion processes can
play a key role in producing fertilizers.
• AD leads to several changes in the composition of the resulting digestates for
what that concern ammonia content, pH, COD, pathogens and odor
emission.
• Digestates are characterized by biologically stable organic matter and ready
available nutrients content (i.e. NH4
+ and PO4
3-)

13. INCUBATION TEST AT LABORATORY SCALE
- No fertilizer T
- Soil + Compost C
-Soil + sewage sludge SS
- Soil + Digestate D
- Soil + Urea U
90 days, T 25°C, U 60% WHC
300 kg N ha-1
Gruppo Ricicla UniMi DISAA

14. Nitrogen balance
t ha-1 Ntot N-NO3
- Efficiency
kg ha-1 %
C 22.6 300 136 45
SS 24.8 300 150 53
D 83.3 300 262 88
U 0.65 300 300* 100
High organic matter mineralization
rate.
High content of N-NH4
+
* Assuming that all the nitrogen added by urea is
mineralized
Gruppo Ricicla UniMi DISAA

15. Conclusions
- Efficiency digestate  urea
- Digestate  mineral fertilizers
- Necessity to consider soil and environment differents
characteristics and conditions
- Distribution Systems (injection or surface )
Gruppo Ricicla UniMi DISAA

16. Maize silage trials
Farm A Farm B
0
10
20
30
40
50
T 1 T 2 T 3 T 4
Yield
(tha-1)
Farm A: maize silage in the different theses
T1 = no fertilization – cover: no fertilization
T2 = superficial raw digestate - injected raw digestate
T3 = urea - urea
T4 = injected raw digestate – injected digestate liquid fraction
0
10
20
30
40
50
T 1 T 2 T 3 T 4
Yield
(tha-1)
Farm B: maize silage in the different theses
T1 = no fertilization - localized fertilization
T2 = Superfilcial raw digestate- localized fertilization
T3 = urea - localized fertilization
T4 = Injected raw digestate - localized fertilization
Carozzi, Riva, Acutis , Tambone, Adani Progetto NERØ, 2012
mineral digestated
mineral
digestated

17. www.smart-plant.eu/ENE3
2015
Progetto Post NERØ
Gruppo Ricicla UniMi DISAA
Caravaggio BG

18. www.smart-plant.eu/ENE3
2015
Progetto Post NERØ
Gruppo Ricicla UniMi DISAA
Caravaggio BG

19. Caravaggio BG2015
Progetto Post NERØ
Gruppo Ricicla UniMi DISAA

20. Caravaggio BG
2015
Progetto Post NERØ
Gruppo Ricicla UniMi DISAA
in line with the
provisions of the
Nitrate Directive
NOT in line with the
provisions of the
Nitrate Directive

23. Carozzi, Riva, Acutis , Tambnoe, Adani Progetto NERØ, 2012
NH3 digestato PRE-SEMINA
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1000
1100
1200
1300
1400
1500
1600
1700
1800
1900
2000
2100
2200
2300
2400
2500
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/m3
Tesi 2 - media μg NH3/m3
Tesi 4 - media μg NH3/m3
Digestato TQ
Iniettato/interrato
Digestato TQ
SUPERFICIALE

24. MORE EFFICIENCY
LESS NITROGEN

25. Efficient management + efficient
separation
N-NH4 > 70-80%
Efficient use by plants 90%
Efficient digestion:
• Biological stability
• Sanitary aspects
• Ntot content
• N- NH4content
Utilization efficiency:
• N dosed following crop budget
• Covered storage tanks
• Application by injection,
immediate incorporation or
localized fertigation
Liquid fraction = fertilizer
if:
Proposal by GRUPPO RICICLA and Regione Lombardia:

26. Efficient management + efficient
separation
N-NH4 > 70-80%
Efficient use by plants 90%
Efficient digestion:
• Biological stability
• Sanitary aspects
• Ntot content
• N- NH4content
Utilization efficiency:
• N dosed following crop budget
• Covered storage tanks
• Application by injection,
immediate incorporation or
localized fertigation
Liquid fraction = fertilizer
if:
Proposal by GRUPPO RICICLA and Regione Lombardia:
COMPARABLE
DIGESTATE

28. Organic Manure for Urban
Farmers

29. • The recovery of
biomasses' nutrients
becomes a process to
produce fertilizers.
FERTILIZERS®
RENEWABLE

30. Un aiuto può derivare dalla revisione di
norme nazionali ed europee, rimuovendo le
barriere amministrative oggi presenti e
valorizzando percorsi di economia circolare
che coinvolgano a pieno titolo anche il
settore zootecnico, riconoscendo il valore
degli effluenti di allevamento

31. . . SAFE-MANURE
Programme

32. …..not only re-use in the farm……..but
……farmer became fertilizers producer

33. … production of mineral
fertilizers from
digested manure
MANERBIO BS

34. MANERBIO BS

35. 35
MANERBIO BS

36. MANERBIO BS

37. MANERBIO BS

38. MANERBIO BS

39. MANERBIO BS

40. ➢2009-2011set up
➢2012 operating
➢60 mc/day digestate
➢30 /40 t/month ammonium
sulphate

41. MANERBIO BS
2018

42. MANERBIO BS
2018

43. MANERBIO BS
2018

44. Untreated After ultrafiltration After reverse osmosi

45. …volumes
reduction
+ chemical fertilizers

46. ➢2009-2010 set up
➢2011 operating
➢50 mc/day digestato
➢7 t/month ammonium
sulphate

47. ➢2009-2011set up
➢2012 operating
➢100 mc/day digestate
➢30 /40 t/month ammonium
sulphate

51. .. UP TO 70%
delivered to surface water

52. VIPITENO BZ
2017

53. VIPITENO BZ
2017

54. VIPITENO BZ
2017

55. VIPITENO BZ
2017

56. VIPITENO BZ
2017

57. Phosphorus recovery from the liquid fraction of digestates
by crystallization of struvite
S . Z a n g a r i n i , T. P e p è S c i a r r i a , F. Ta m b o n e , F. A d a n i Gruppo Ricicla UniMi DISAA

58. CLARIFIER: parte superiore, zona
di ascesa e ricaduta dei centri di
nucleazione.
UPFLOW: dove avviene la fase
dinamica di spostamento dei
solidi.
Upflow velocity = Total flow/ section
COLLECTING: zona di ricaduta dei
cristalli, asportazione del precipitato
INPUT:
separato liquido filtrato
soluzione diluita di SWB (PO43- e NH3) (Mg2+)
OUTPUT:
Effluente impoverito di fosforo
Crystallization operating scheme
Gruppo Ricicla UniMi DISAA

59. Test 1
pH = 9.5
Mg2+:PO4
3- = 1.8:1
flusso aria= 0.5 L min-
ST = 3.3%
Test 2
Test 2.1
Test 3
Test 3.1
pH = 9.5
Mg2+:PO4
3- = 2:1
flusso aria= 0.5 L min-
ST = 3.3 – 4.5%
pH = 9.5
Mg2+:PO4
3- = 3:1
flusso aria= 0.5 L min-
ST = 3.3 – 4.5%
crystallizer test scheme
Gruppo Ricicla UniMi DISAA

60. P reduction : 60%
PA R A M E T R I
pH = 9.5
Flusso d’aria = 0.5 L/min
Mg2+:PO4
3- = 1.8:1
ST = 3.3%
Results
Test 1
Gruppo Ricicla UniMi DISAA

61. P reduction: 85%
PA R A M E T R I
pH = 9.5
Flusso d’aria = 0.5 L/min
Mg2+:PO4
3- = 2:1
ST = 3.3%
Results
Test 2
Gruppo Ricicla UniMi DISAA

62. P reduction: 76 %
PA R A M E T R I
pH = 9.5
Flusso d’aria = 0.5 L/min
Mg2+:PO4
3- = 2:1
ST = 4.5 %
Results
Test 2.1
Gruppo Ricicla UniMi DISAA

63. P abbattuto: 72 %
PA R A M E T R I
pH = 9.5
Flusso d’aria = 0.5 L/min
Mg2+:PO4
3- = 3:1
ST = 3.3 %
Results
Test 3
Gruppo Ricicla UniMi DISAA

64. P abbattuto: 62 %
PA R A M E T R I
pH = 9.5
Flusso d’aria = 0.5 L/min
Mg2+:PO4
3- = 3:1
ST = 4.5 %
Results
Test 3.1
Gruppo Ricicla UniMi DISAA

65. Test 2 (85% reduction):
• abundance of mineral crystals
• Identificate strutture dendritiche, pennate, ramificate
Results
O P T I C A L M I C R O S C O P Y A N A LY S I S
Gruppo Ricicla
UniMi DISAA

66. Test 2 (85% reduction):
• mineral component identified as struvite
Results
DIFFRACTION ANALYSIS

67. o Phosphorus abatement achieved under standard conditions : 85 %
o Phosphorus abatement achieved with high ST content(~4,5%) : 60-70%
o Seawater bittern valid alternative to MgCl2.
o Precipitate rich in organic carbon, phosphates, magnesium and ammonium: renewable
fertilizer to be tested
o Possible transition from prototype to plant scale
Conclusioni e sviluppi futuri