Optimizing Bio-based Fertilisers in Agriculture – Knowledgebase for New Policies

Bio-based fertilisers (BBF) have the potential to minimise the environmental impact of existing fertilisers and improve sustainability through recycling of nutrient-rich side-streams. This project will develop a profound knowledge basis and new coherent methods to take full advantage of BBFs, focusing on the most promising technologies for BBF production and evaluating their fertilization potential and other properties against national and European fertilisation requirements. LEX4BIO aims to decrease the European dependency on finite and imported, apatite-based phosphorus and energy-intensive mineral nitrogen fertilisers.

The objectives are to

• Identify novel BBFs for crop production and determine their effect on soil quality and crop growth
• Determine the logistic costs, public perceptions and political actions required for optimal use of BBFs
• Determine the risks related to food safety, human health and environmental losses after application of BBFs and produce guiding principles for the safe use of BBFs
• Assess the integrated ecological impacts over the entire lifecycle of the production and use of BBFs
• Map at local, regional and European scale the nutrients available to produce BBFs, assess their potential and identify legal barriers and constraints.

• Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 818309 - LEX4BIO

• European Commission, Horizon 2020

• Bünemann-König Else (Department of Soil Sciences)

• Agostini Lucilla (Department of Soil Sciences)
• Frick Hanna (Department of Soil Sciences)
• Petris-Symanczik Sarah (Department of Soil Sciences)
• Steffens Markus (Department of Soil Sciences)

Project partner in WP2

Work package manager in WP3

Project partner in WP4

• Nutrient Management & Symbiosis (Department of Soil Sciences, FiBL Switzerland)