Register for free to
view the full innovation profile.
Closing the waste loop: Formulation of superior, nutrient-rich, granular and micronised agricultural products derived from low-value residues from BioSolids, BioEnergy and Mining
About
While meaningful effort has been put in valorising waste from some industrial activities (such as increased investment in AD plants to generate clean renewable energy), significant proportions of functional, nutrient-rich by-products still end up in landfill. Some of these by-products include AD digestate, poultry litter ash, struvite, recycled gypsum and ungraded vegetables. RCN is on a mission to upcycle these often ignored and non-prioritised waste streams into commercially viable and eco-friendly soil, crop and water enhancers, while reducing the UK’s reliance on imported chemical fertilisers and creating a greener, more sustainable future for all. Our Unique Selling Point includes a fully integrated, scalable process that enables us to go from identifying a new waste/by-product stream, assess it for nutritional and functional potential, and scale up production to a market-ready product within two weeks - which is then registered following the specific regulatory frameworks and forwarded to the relevant market.
Key Benefits
The benefits for our target market include having access to superior, cost-effective, traceable, British-made alternatives to chemical products commonly used in conventional farming practices. Our products are compatible with standard application methods used on farms, improve soil health, help address micronutrient deficiencies that may be missed by conventional NPK fertilisers, supporting crop growth and resilience and have additional environmental benefits including reduced carbon footprint, low run-off risks and can support eligibility for sustainability certifications and subsidies. For strong enough cases, we can even tailor the product to the specific field/crop requirements. Our innovation's benefits span widely further from our target market, having an impact on the (inevitable) waste producing businesses and industries as they will be able to pass on these otherwise no value by-products for a fee, and support growing consumer and policy demands for low-carbon, eco-friendly and sustainable production.
Applications
The main target market is initially British farming businesses but our products, processes and thinking can certainly be applied to a global market.