Nutrient Recovery and Recycling

We are leading a series of projects recovering plant nutrients from bioconversion processes and returning them to fields in place of synthetic fertilizers - creating valuable new product streams and improving the sustainability of biofuel and bioproduct systems.

Innovative bioconversion processes can be configured to recover key plant nutrients from biomass. Recovered nutrients can be recycled to crop fields, thereby closing nutrient cycles and reducing the energetic and economic costs of fertilization. Advanced bioconversion matched with complementary biomass production can yield highly productive agricultural-industrial systems with reduced environmental impact. We are currently working with industrial partners to recover and recycle important plant nutrients from biorefinery processes. We are developing and testing new nutrient recovery technologies and evaluating the agronomic value of various recovered nutrient streams.

Publications

Anex, R.P., L.R. Lynd, M.S. Laser, A.H. Heggenstaller, M. Liebman. “Growing Energy, Closing Cycles: The Potential for Enhanced Nutrient Cycling through the Coupling of Agricultural and Bioenergy Systems,” Crop Science Journal, 47:1327-1335, July 2007.

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