ESPP presentation on sewage sludge biochar as fertiliser: regulations and perspectives 12/10/22

www.phosphorusplatform.eu
Christopher Thornton
info@phosphorusplatform.eu
Slides are online here :
www.slideshare.net/phosphorusplatform
www.phosphorusplatform.eu/SOFIE2023

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Sewage Sludge Biochar - Malmö, October 20222
European Sustainable Phosphorus Platform (ESPP)

European Sustainable Phosphorus Platform (ESPP)

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www.phosphorusplatform.eu/SOFIE2023
www.phosphorusplatform.eu/NRecovery

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Legal entity,
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 clear decision making
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- established 2014
- Belgian not-for-profit association
- statutes are public
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 credibility, independence
50+ paying members :
industries, SMEs,
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 balance between interests and industries

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(11 – 14% identified opening rate)
ESPP in action

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EU regulatory and policy dossiers
- Fertiliser supply and food security
- Green Deal
- EU Green Fiance ‘Taxonomy’
- Nitrogen recovery & recycling
- EU Critical Raw Materials
- EU Fertilising Products Regulation
- Soil Health
- CAP
- BAT (Industrial Emissions Directive)
- Recycled nutrients in Organic Farming
- Sewage Sludge Directive
- Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive
- Animal Feed Regulation
- R&D
National policies
- Austria proposed sewage P-recovery obligation
- Baltic Nutrient Recycling Strategy (HELCOM)
ESPP in action
Public consultation to
25/11/22
24/10/22
24/10/22

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Nutrient recovery technology catalogue
http://www.phosphorusplatform.eu/techcatalogue

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Nutrient platforms - partners of ESPP
• Netherlands 2010 http://www.nutrientplatform.org/
• Germany 2015 www.deutsche-phosphor-plattform.de
• North America Sustainable Phosphorus Alliance (SPA) 2017
(launched as NAPPS in 2015) https://phosphorusalliance.org/
• Japan PIDO 2011 (Phosphorus Industry Development Organization of Japan) www.pido.or.jp
• Global Partnership for Nutrient Management (UNEP)
http://www.unep.org/gpa/what-we-do/global-partnership-nutrient-management
• nutrient platform projects: Ireland, Italy, Sweden, …

Context of sewage sludge management

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Context
8.7 Mt/y DM sewage sludge in Europe
48% is valorised on agricultural land
Plus 8% to landscaping
2021 data source Eureau Briefing Note
Sewage sludge management
= up to 20% of
total sewage works costs
Austria, Amann et al. 2022
in ESPP eNews n°69
EU Sewage Sludge Directive
currently under revision.
See ESPP eNews n°54

Biochars in the EU Fertilising Products Regulation

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EU Fertilising Products Regulation 2019/1009
https://eurlex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2019/1009
Flagship of Commission ‘Circular Economy Package’:
Opens European market for recycled fertilisers
… and for recycling technologies
Ambitious:
- Old EU Fertilisers Regulation (2003/2003) = mineral fertilisers only
- New Regulation (2019/1009) = mineral & organic fertilisers, plant materials,
composts & digestates, soil amendments, growing media, biostimulants,
liming materials, etc.
Precedent: first EU Product Legislation to confer EU “ End-of-Waste” status
Already a number of amendments: see consolidated version HERE.

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“Optional harmonisation”
You can place on the market
 as CE-mark fertilising products
(EU Fertilising Products Regulation criteria – and Conformity Assessment)
 transport to and sell in any EU country
 as “national” fertiliser
 cannot be transported to another EU country
(unless “mutual recognition”)
 or both !
 or spread under national “waste” legislation or similar
(traceability, producer responsibility, …)

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EU Fertilising Products Regulation
How it works …
A CE-mark product must respect all four of:
 Annex I PFCs
= Product Function Categories
 Annex II CMCs
= Component Material Categories
 Annex III = Labelling
 Annex IV
= Conformity Assessment
If you thought ‘CMC’s were input materials
and ‘PFC’s were finished products …
then you’ve maybe got it partly right …
possibly … but it’s not that simple.

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EU Fertilising Products
Regulation
PFCs (Product Function Category)
1. Fertiliser: Organic, Organo-mineral,
Inorganic
2. Liming material
3. Soil improvers: Organic, Inorganic
4. Growing medium
5. Inhibitor
6. Plant biostimulant
7. Blend
CMCs (Component Material Category)
1. Virgin materials
2. Mechanically processed plants
3. Compost
4-5. Digestates
6. (certain) Food industry by-products
7. (biostimulant) Micro-organisms
8-9. Nutrient & other polymers
[10. Animal by-products] - to date: empty box
11. (certain, industrial) By-Products
12. Recovered phosphate salts & derivates
13. Ashes & derivates
14. Pyrolysis & gasification materials
15. (certain) Recovered Minerals
(inc. N-salts from off-gases)

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CMC14 “Pyrolysis and gasification materials”
ESPP suggest definition work be started in 2016 (JRC STRUBIAS)
JRC final report  2019 http://dx.doi.org/10.2760/186684
Adopted and published in EU Official Journal 30/11/2021
Now in Consolidated version of EU Fertilising Products Regulation
https://eurlex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2019/1009
Authorised input materials:
- plant materials, inc. vegetable food processing waste,
virgin paper waste, biofuel residues …
- “bio-waste … from separate bio-waste collection”
- compost, digestate etc. from the above
Excluded as at 10/2022:
- sewage sludge, industrial & dredging sludge
- animal by-products (inc. manure)
- materials from mixed municipal waste

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PFC1 “Fertiliser”
EU FPR specifies in Annex III (Labelling):
(Annex III, part II – 4b)
for all PFC1 “Fertilisers”
= Inorganic, Organo-Mineral and Organic Fertilisers:
“where phosphorus is a declared nutrient …
- declared P content shall consist only of P in the phosphatic form
- shall fulfil at least one of:
- water solubility: minimum 40% of total P
- solubility in NAC (neutral ammonium citrate): minimum 75% of total P”

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Animal By-Products (ABP) in EU Fertilisers
At present, no ABP (and no ABP derived product) is allowed,
unless + until “ABP End-Points” are added into the EU ABP Regulation 1069/2009
(and for some materials also amendment of 999/2001 TSE Regulation)
DG SANTE proposed amendment to 1069/2009 open to public consultation to 24/10/22
(summarised in ESPP eNews n°70):
• ABPs already cited in FPR but cannot be used until 1069/2009 is amended:
compost CMC3, digestate CMC5, ashes (Cat.2-3) CMC13
• Will require modification of FPR to include into CMC10 (empty box)
In all cases, authorisation (for the cited materials in this proposal) only where processed
under existing “standard” process specifications in annexes of 142/2011 (consolidated
version here), NOT under “alternative” specifications in these same annexes

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Manure in FPR biochars (CMC14) ?
(and other Cat.2 and Cat.3 ABPs)
Under current DG SANTE proposal:
Only if:
 composted or anaerobically digested to 142/2011 “standard” processing
requirements (Annex V, ch. I, II and III) before input to pyrolysis process
 pyrolysis / gasification process itself ensures 142/2011 “standard” processing
requirements for “processed manure”:
Annex XI, chapter I ($2 a, b & d): that is treatment at ≥70°C for ≥60 minutes and
verification by sampling of specified pathogen levels.
Note: must also respect CMC14 processing criteria, that is: 180°C for 2 seconds under
oxygen limiting conditions, product H/Corg < 0,7, contaminant limits …

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Proposed amendment
to 1069/2009 open to
public consultation to
24/10/22
(summarised in ESPP
eNews n°70):

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Sewage sludge in FPR biochars (CMC14) ?
JRC “STRUBIAS” final report 2019 states (p. 137-138)
 Lack of evidence of removal of “broad list of emerging
contaminants in human-derived waste streams”
Cites: “phthalates, surfactants, pharmaceuticals and endocrine
disrupting compounds”
 Recommends to develop the scientific knowledge base.
Current exclusion “could possibly be revised once
robust and extensive techno-scientific evidence
underpins the safe use …”

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JRC “STRUBIAS” final report 2019 states (p. 138)
https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC117856

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EU FPR:
in ?
or out?
Sewage Manure
+ Cat 2 & 3 ABPs
Cat1
ABPs
Plant
materials
Food waste /
biowaste
Food industry
CMC2: plant materials ✗ ✗ ✗ ✓ ✗ ✗
CMC3: compost ✗ ✓ ✗ ✓ ✓ ✗
CMC4: “energy crop”
digestate
✗ ✗ ✗ (✓) ✗ ✗
CMC5: other digestate ✗ ✓ $ ✗ ✓ ✓ ✗
CMC6: certain food-industry
by-products
✗ ✗ ✗ ✓ ✗ ✓ Only plants + certain
specified materials
CMC10: animal by-products CMC10 = empty box. $ = other CMCs: only when ABP ‘End Point’ defined
CMC12: phosphate salts &
derivates
✓ ✓ $ ✗ ✓ ✓ ✓
CMC13: ashes & derivates ✓ ✓$ ✗ ✓ ✓ ✓
CMC14: biochars, pyrolysis &
gasification
✗ ✓$ ✗ ✓ ✓ ✓vegetable only

Biochars in national fertilisers regulations

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National regulatory status of sewage sludge biochars
To be completed ….
 Czech Republic. Authorised by Decree 474/200 (amendment Oct. 2021), subject to contaminant limits
and to both national and regional authorisation. National End-of-Waste status.
 Sweden. Authorised. Registration with national agency KEMI (registration process roadmap).
 Italy. Authorised by Italian Standard February 2022 with HTC temperature 180 – 230°C and limits for
ash, volatiles, nitrogen, heavy metals, “fixed carbon”
 Denmark. Environment Ministry has stated 22nd June 2022 that pyrolysis (> 500°C, 3 mins) of sewage
sludge is an acceptable pre-treatment prior to agricultural application. Retains waste status.
 UK: UKWIR will publish soon a report “Converting sewage sludge to biochar - a review of options &
feasibility”..
 Norway: biochar from sewage sludge can be used in agriculture, under the same constraints as for
hygienised sewage sludge.
Sewage sludge biochar is not allowed for agricultural use in: Germany, Netherlands

Biochars in the EU Organic Farming Regulation

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Recycled nutrients authorised in EU “Organic Farming”
EU Implementing Regulation on Organic Farming 2021/1165 Annex II
In some cases with use specification, contaminant limitations or “sustainable origin”
 Materials from plants or algae
 Manure inc. dried, composted, digestate “Factory farming origin forbidden”
 Compost or digestate of separately collected biowaste, of vegetable materials
 Various specific animal-by-products: fish meal, meat meat, bone meal, hydrolysed proteins, dairy,
wool, feathers, …
 Wood by-products and ashes
 Shellfish wastes
 Egg shells “Factory farming origin forbidden”
 Biochar from plant materials

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EGTOP Opinions on recycled nutrient materials
EU Expert Group on Organic Production (Opinions here)
Positive opinions: June 2022 here
 Struvite and precipitated phosphate salts (EU FPR CMC12 definition)
 Widen “biowaste” to include green wastes, catering food wastes (conform to Waste Framework
Directive)
2016 here: struvite, calcined phosphates from sewage sludge
Negative Opinions:
 June 2022 here: “Animal Bone Biochar”:
no advantage but contaminant risks compared to non-pyrolysed bone meal
 2018 here: (certain) N-salts from ammonia stripping
See also : ESPP proposals to authorise further recycled nutrient materials in Organic Production here
FiBl paper on conditions for acceptance of recycled phosphorus materials in Organic Farming here

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Challenges and actions
Manure biochars (and other Cat.2-3 ABPs)
 Are the 142/2011 “standard” processing requirements ( ≥70°C for ≥60 mins) OK ?
 If not, develop dossier for EFSA assessment of other processing conditions
- define what minimum processing conditions to address ?
- collect pathogen safety data
Sewage biochars
 Complete information on national authorisations, Europe & worldwide (evidence base)
 Develop data on elimination of “emerging contaminants” to respond to JRC STRUBIAS:
pharmaceuticals (and breakdown products), household & industrial chemicals, microplastics
Other challenges
 Fate of PFAS? Degradation products? Measurement?
 Biochars from non plant materials (CMC14) in Organic Farming ?
 Data on agronomic value: organic carbon, nutrients …
EU announced PFAS ban 2020.

ESPP presentation on sewage sludge biochar as fertiliser: regulations and perspectives 12/10/22

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