Summary
This review examines recycling-derived bio-based fertilisers (RD-BBFs)—produced from animal manure, agri-food waste, urban green waste, and food waste through composting, anaerobic digestion, and other processes—as sustainable alternatives to mineral fertilisers. The authors assess RD-BBF environmental and economic benefits via material flow and life cycle analyses, demonstrate their potential to close nutrient loops under the EU Fertilising Products Regulations 2019/1009, and identify key adoption barriers including nutrient content variability, mineral fertiliser equivalent value limitations, economic factors, and farmer acceptance. The review concludes that whilst RD-BBFs are viable for reducing fossil-based fertiliser dependency, further research is needed on long-term regional effects and comprehensive nutrient pathways across European contexts.
Regional applicability
The review focuses primarily on EU legislation and European agricultural contexts under the Fertilising Products Regulations 2019/1009, making it directly applicable to United Kingdom practice post-Brexit through alignment considerations and potential domestic regulatory adoption. The findings on RD-BBF adoption barriers and nutrient circularity are relevant to UK farming, though the regulatory framework and implementation timeline may differ from EU member states.
Key measures
Material flow analysis (MFA); life cycle assessment (LCA); mineral fertiliser equivalent value (MFEV); nutrient content variability; economic considerations; societal acceptance indicators
Outcomes reported
A comprehensive review of recycling-derived bio-based fertilisers (RD-BBFs) from animal manure, agri-food waste, and food waste, examining their production pathways, environmental and economic assessment through material flow analysis and life cycle assessment, and identifying adoption barriers including nutrient variability, economic viability, and societal acceptance.
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