Mobile technology for recycled fertilizer production – an option how to create local nutrient value chains

On 17 June 2026, Ksawery Kuligowski, PhD, Eng., Assistant Professor at the Institute of Fluid-Flow Machinery, Polish Academy of Sciences, presented a poster on the development and testing of a mobile installation for producing recycled nutrient fertilizers (RNFs) from locally available waste materials. The Institute is a project partner in CiNURGi.

The CiNURGi project has worked on accelerating the development and uptake of recycled nutrient fertilizers in the Baltic Sea Region, and the mobile technology tested by the Institute of Fluid-Flow Machinery is part of that aspiration as it combines mobile production with agronomic validation, meaning data on its products efficiency as a fertilizer.

For recycled nutrient fertilizers to become part of a functioning circular economy, they need to meet several requirements, from farmers, fertilizer producers, regulators and markets. This means a need to demonstrate not only that nutrients can be recovered, but that the resulting products are safe, agronomically effective, economically viable and competitive with conventional alternatives. Demonstrating nutrient content, fertilizer effectiveness and plant response is essential for creating a stronger case for their adoption.

The mobile pelletization concept offers an interesting model in this context. It provides stakeholders not only with a technology for producing fertilizer pellets, but also with evidence of their nutrient content and agricultural performance. The agronomic trials were carried out with products produced by the unit, evaluated under controlled greenhouse conditions using an automated irrigation system.

The technology is designed to bring fertilizer production directly to where residual materials are generated, potentially reducing the need to transport bulky residual materials, incurring lower waste disposal costs and allowing waste-producing facilities to generate additional value from materials that would otherwise have limited economic value.

The mobile installation can process diverse organic and mineral feedstocks, including digested sewage sludge, biomass ash, fish-processing waste, biochar and cattle shavings. The process combines feedstock homogenization, drying and sanitization at 80°C for 60 minutes, followed by pelletization. This makes it possible to produce fertilizer pellets at locations such as wastewater treatment plants, biogas facilities and waste management sites. By connecting waste producers, technology developers, researchers and end users, this solution can help bridge the gap between nutrient recovery and practical fertilizer production.

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