ICL Supports the Circular Economy with a New Recycled Fertilizer

Phosphate plays an important role in crop growth and is essential for our food supply. But, with our planet’s limited natural resources, it is becoming increasingly important to develop sustainable methods to recycle this and other valuable nutrients. ICL’s ongoing research into re-using minerals from recyclable sources has led to us developing our new Puraloop fertilizer. Puraloop is a high-quality, granular phosphorus fertilizer that utilizes recycled materials to deliver double-action phosphorus for plant nutrition. Watch our video on Puraloop

What is Puraloop?

Puraloop is a new phosphorus fertilizer that utilizes recycled materials to close the phosphate loop. We extract phosphorus from sewage sludge ash to create a fertilizer that delivers double-action phosphorus for improved phosphorus use efficiency. Puraloop is turning a waste product into a useful fertilizer product, and we feel this is of real social importance and a great example of how we, as ICL, can support the circular economy.

How do you Make Puraloop?

The process starts with the phosphorus-containing sewage sludge from waste-water treatment. Sewage sludge is collected and burned at 850 degrees for 10 minutes to completely remove any drugs, medicines, or hormones that may have been present, leaving us with a ‘clean’ ash. We acquire the ash from partners in the Netherlands and process it to create our Puraloop phosphate fertilizer at the ICL factory in Amsterdam. We have been working on this idea of recycling phosphate from waste streams for a long time. We were given the space and time within ICL to carry out tests in the factory, which enabled us to make big advances with this process. We have had some time-consuming challenges along the way, but we are all really proud of what we have achieved!

If Puraloop is Made from Waste, is it Safe for Agriculture?

Puraloop is safe. This was an important part of the development. Puraloop is certified as a safe fertilizer for agriculture and complies with the EU’s strict regulations. Ensuring compliance with the many safety procedures and regulations has taken us 5 years. Now that is complete, we can reassure you that Puraloop is 100% compliant with European regulations for the use of waste streams in fertilizer production including REACH registration of the product with ECHA (European Chemicals Agency). So, we can confidently say that Puraloop is safe for use in the agricultural sector.

How Important do you Think Puraloop will be for Agriculture?

I think Puraloop is an exciting new product. At a time when sustainability is becoming increasingly important, Puraloop converts waste into valuable raw materials, contributing to a circular economy.

How much Demand is there for Recycled Phosphate Fertilizers?

Phosphate is an important plant nutrient for agriculture. Most phosphate fertilizers are created from mined ores that are finite. So, society is increasingly calling for the utilization of sustainable phosphate sources. We are hearing that supermarket chains are following this trend closely. Our ambition is not just to use sewage sludge ash but to research as many alternative raw materials as possible and see how we can process a number of nutrients, not just phosphate, into renewed, recycled fertilizers. We are seeing a high demand for circular solutions such as Puraloop. So much so that we are planning to expand Puraloop production to a second ICL factory in Germany to meet Europe’s future demands.

How does Puraloop Perform in Field Trials?

Although the source of phosphate in Puraloop is different, its performance matches that of traditional P fertilizers made from phosphate rock. This is because the phosphate molecule does not change after farm application. The crop absorbs the phosphate, then we consume the phosphate in our food when we eat the crop, and, at the end of the day, it ends up in the sewer, ready for us to extract and use to create Puraloop. Field tests have now shown that the phosphate in Puraloop is just as effective as conventional phosphate. Our extensive field trials tested different phosphate fertilizers, and showed that Puraloop has an efficiency similar to traditional phosphate fertilizers. Because Puraloop is a so-called “slow release” fertilizer, the phosphate is gradually released to the plant, providing long-term plant nutrition that is beneficial for growth.

So, What’s Next for ICL’s Recycled Fertilizers?

Puraloop is an excellent fertilizer, and we believe we can increase production to meet Europe’s entire phosphate needs for the next 10-15 years. But demand from other countries is high, and not just for recycled phosphate fertilizers. We continue to explore the extraction of phosphate from animal remains such as bones, as well as potassium from the combustion of biomass in bio plants. ICL is also participating in a large-scale European Research Project: Clean bioenergy for industry project (CBE4I) to recycle minerals such as magnesium, potassium, and calcium from the ash from biomass. Through ICL’s commitment to the development of innovative plant nutrition products to meet the future demands of agriculture, we are actively exploring more options for sustainable, recycled nutrients. Lucas van der Saag and Gabriela Rocha Moreira from the R&D team at the ICL’s Amsterdam factory are closely involved in Puraloop’s development.