The European project LIFE12 ENV/IT/356 “RESAFE”: innovative fertilizer from urban waste, bio-char and farm residues as substitute of chemical fertilizers

The European project LIFE12 ENV/IT/356 “RESAFE” is addressed to reduce the utilization of mineral and chemical fertilizers in agriculture, since the nutrients required for fertilization will be naturally obtained from Urban Organic Waste (UOW), Farm Organic Residues (FOR) and Bio-Char (BC) through the use of enzymatic mixtures. Together with this primary goal, the RESAFE project wants also contribute to generate economical and environmental benefits for farmer and urban waste managers through: i) the reduction organic waste sent to landfill disposal trough materials recovery and ii) the production and the sale of new fertilizers obtained by waste recovery. Environmental impact will thus be significantly reduced and greenhouse emissions from landfill will decrease. Actions have been and, and will be, carried out to demonstrate the economical, social and environmental benefits related to the production and the use of reduced salinity fertilizers. Demonstration units (i.e. laboratory and pilot scale plants) will be realized to show as from “different recipes”, based on treated organic waste (i.e. compost) and Bio-Char (BC), added with Vegetable Active Principles (VAP), a new class of fertilizers could be obtained. Specific sensing architecture, based on HyperSpectral Imaging (HSI) devices, and chemiometric logics, will be used to follow the transformations of the complex material, during the different stages of the process. The RESAFE project will implement and demonstrate as the applied composting process: i) maximizes N retention in final fertilizer, ii) allows, thanks to the particular process conditions and sanitation (i.e. high nitrogen/ammonia concentration and high process temperatures), to develop composting actions enhancing humification, Finally RESAFE will fully demonstrate as the “final” fertilizer will be characterised by: i) a well humified organic matter, ii) an increased nitrogen percentage, up to 3%, iii) a reduced salinity, iv) a high water retention and v) a higher N and P (and K) contents.