Conversion of waste into organo-mineral fertilizers: current technological trends and prospects

Abstract

One of agriculture’s most important goals is finding the proper equilibrium between sustainability and intensification of production. The exponential growth of the world population, climate variability, and soil degradation are essential factors that require the development of novel agricultural practices to achieve food security. In this context, organo-mineral fertilization has been proposed as a promising approach. Such a concept is based on novel fertilizers formulations combining organic and mineral resources features, which could simultaneously address soil fertility and health issues. The manufacturing processes of organo-mineral fertilizers (OMF) are highly versatile and revolve around the co-processing of organic and mineral matrices. OMF’s peculiarity resides in using systemic methodologies for waste valorization to generate cost-effective and eco-friendly products in alignment with the bio-circular economy. Despite their advantages, OMF adoption by farmers is still not satisfactory, which could be attributed to the difficulty of accessibility and a stagnant market. This work critically reviews recent advances in the organo-mineral fertilization concept. Our review provides an in-depth understanding of the chemical, biological, and thermal methodologies used for OMF generation through mineral and organic matrices co-processing. We also discuss the positive effect of such products on the plant-soil system by focusing on the mechanism of action. Furthermore, this review scrutinizes the innovation profile of OMF based on trends of patent submission during the last 20 years. It also provides future research and development pathways based on current drawbacks and limitations of the industry. Graphical abstract

An isotope study on nitrogen and phosphorus use efficiency and movement in soil in a mimicked vermicompost‐based organo‐mineral fertilizer

“…The search of a new material is certainly long and difficult, also hindered by resistance to change by the industry and the market (Alexander et al., 2008), and by the need to establish a new production chain of quality‐certified products. Any bio‐waste material used in an OMF needs to be stable over time, homogeneous, and interact predictably with the mineral fertilizer (Bouhia et al., 2022; Sakurada et al., 2016). High and easy availability on the market, low cost, and certified technological quality are also of fundamental importance.…”

Circular Economy Model Through Phosphorus Recovery to Obtain Struvite from Sewage Sludge

“…MDPI and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions, or products referred to in the content. geographic concentration of phosphate rock reserves (up to 72%) in Morocco and Western Sahara is a challenge to environmental issues but also of political point of view [15][16][17].…”

Recent innovations in fertilization with treated digestate from food waste to recover nutrients for arid agricultural fields

“…The valorization of waste for fertilizer purposes is becoming the subject of extensive research by scientists around the world. The concept of this activity is to have the possibility to use the raw material potential of waste and through material recycling turn it around to the process loop (Bouhia et al 2022). Biowaste, characterized by high organic matter content and low levels of contaminants, is particularly suitable for this goal (Mirabella et al 2014;Fritsch et al 2017).…”