RISE issues Nutrient Recovery and Reuse Study

The Rural Investment Support for Europe (RISE) Foundation recently released “Nutrient Recovery and Reuse (NRR) in European agriculture: A review of the issues, opportunities, and actions.”  The study seeks clarity regarding nutrient recovery and reuse in Europe, the issues and opportunities, and necessary actions to support development in this area.  Section 4.3 of the report provides interesting statistics on the use of land application, composting, incineration, and landfilling across the EU. (See, pgs 52-58).

Report recommendations highlighted the need for:

“1. Better data [. . . .]

• Recommendation 1: Develop a common methodology and define indicators to monitor nutrient flows and organic carbon in waste streams as suggested by the DONUTTS project.
• Recommendation 2: Apply this new methodology in the EU, and at Member State level to provide regular updates on progress towards the goal of increasing nutrient recovery and reuse and meeting the targets set for the Circular Economy.

2. Regulatory coherence [ . . . . ]

• Recommendation 3: Conduct a full review of the legislation affecting all aspects of nutrient management in Europe and changes in European and National legislation that could help stimulate more NRR.

3. Appropriate policies for NRR [ . . . . ]

• Recommendation 4: Analyse the impact that nutrient recovery and reuse could have on the environment, and on resource security, and its potential to create jobs, income and growth in rural areas to help establish the case for collective action to drive a step up in NRR.
• Recommendation 5: Analyse the feasibility and costs and benefits of the deployment of specific measures, including subsidies and taxes, to directly stimulate NRR, or to restrict or penalise alternative nutrients.
• Recommendation 6: Provide public funding to help take technologies for NRR being developed in the laboratory to the pilot project phase and the development of pilot projects towards full scale commercial enterprises.
• Recommendation 7: Ensure that NRR projects are flagged as eligible for consideration for EU funds for Rural Development, and activities undertaken by the European Investment Bank.
• Recommendation 8: Encourage coordination of R&D activities on NRR across Europe, through more clustering of science centres for the different recycling areas, including the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre.

4. Circular Economy Package [ . . . . ]

• Recommendation 9: High priority should be given to make rapid progress with the clear delineation, and establishment of standards and certification procedures for recovered nutrient products, and traceability protocols for recycled nutrient products which could contain organic contaminants. These should cover the nutrient content, the maximum level of impurities which could be a threat to health, safety and environment, and product quality and application techniques.
• Recommendation 10: Establish an EU level analytical framework for nutrients as well as a practical check list of potential actions to develop NRR further in Europe.
• Recommendation 11: Establish Best Available Technologies and the Best Practices Exchange for nutrient recovery and reuse and their promotion through current Information exchange platforms.

5. Consumer acceptance and land managers mobilisation. It is clear that this can be a significant impediment to further NRR. Some consumers may be anxious about products fertilised with nutrients derived from sewage sludge. In some cases food processing and retailing companies are choosing to pre-empt their customers’ views by refusing to buy products if they are fertilised in this way. There can also be resistance from land managers if they are not convinced of the nutrient value, consistency and performance of recovered nutrient products. Remedying this aspect is mostly the responsibility of the enterprises conducting the nutrient recovery, but research and development assistance may also be justified. Even without their own concerns about the quality and efficacy of recovered nutrients, farmers may be nervous about the willingness of their purchasers to buy their products. To overcome these attitude and cultural barriers there has to be in place the appropriate quality and safety standards for recovered nutrients, monitoring of the operation of these standards and their correct use by farmers notably through appropriate extension services. It is also advisable to devote resources to create an awareness raising campaign explaining the rationale and environmental benefits of NRR. This in turn should raise awareness of the consequences of the leakage of nutrients into the environment, and the ill health effects of nutrient mismanagement as well as creating greater clarity regarding concerns over the public health impacts of using recovered nutrients on land. This narrative can explain how waste separation and collection and NRR can reduce reliance on imported non-renewable resources, increase security of EU food, and the recovery processes can contribute to local jobs and growth and ensure productivity and sustainability of managed land in the long term.

• Recommendation 12: Develop an awareness raising campaign to inform consumers about the impact of current nutrient use and the benefits of nutrient recovery and reuse.
• Recommendation 13: Provide research funding for analysis, understanding and risk-assessment of organic contaminants in nutrient recycling, including both processed sewage sludge and manures and recovered nutrient products.
• Recommendation 14: Inform, educate and motivate food processors/retailers to engage with the need for the application of circular economy concepts in food production to help create consumer and retailer ‘pull’ for products that are produced with recovered nutrients.
• Recommendation 15: Integrate NRR and soil carbon benefits into EU policies for renewable energy as well its contribution to adaptation and mitigation for climate change.

6. Optimal level of livestock product production and consumption [ . . . . ]

• Recommendation 16: Conduct a high-level, wide-ranging, review of the optimal place of livestock in the EU, embracing both the health and environmental impacts of meat and dairy products in the human diet, and the spatial distribution and concentration of livestock production and its contribution to cultural landscape.” (pgs. 12-13)

For additional detail, please see the attached report — Buckwell, A. Nadeu, E. 2016. Nutrient Recovery and Reuse (NRR) in European agriculture. A review of the issues, opportunities, and actions.  RISE Foundation, Brussels.

NRR_RISE_2016