ADVANCING CIRCULAR AGRICULTURE THROUGH NUTRIENT UPCYCLING: DIGESTATE AS THE BASIS FOR ENHANCED EFFICIENCY FERTILIZERS

GreenTechnologies proposes to upcycle digestate from anaerobic digesters into an organic based commercial enhanced efficiency fertilizer (EEF) that can be used in agricultural production. GT will utilize its nutrient enhancementand Reactive Layer Coating technologies (USA Patent No. US10384984B2, 2019) which employ macro and micro-nutrients to manufacture unique carbon-rich EEF products to improve soil health and maximize plant growth while contributing positive environmental impacts. GreenTechnologies'nutrient enhancement and mineral coating technologies simultaneously address multiple current barriers to commercialization of organic-based fertilizers.Phase I will focus on characterizing different digestates and demonstrating the feasibility of using this agricultural byproduct as the basis for enhanced efficiency fertilizer that will be effective for agricultural production.Phase I will determine the feasibility of converting digestate into an enhanced efficiency fertilizer, first defining the processing steps and specifications unique to digestate as a feedstock, then demonstrating them at a laboratory scale. The Phase I Technical Objectives are:Characterize sourced digestate: assess drying needs and analyze chemical/nutrient content.Determine target nutrient compositions based on intrinsic content and commercial needs and adapt GT's patented approaches to produce enhanced digestate-based fertilizer pellets.Analyze products and undertake laboratory nutrient release studies.