UPM and Yara to co-develop recycled fertilisers

Raki2, a nutrient recycling programme from the Finnish Ministry of the Environment, has granted funding for a joint project established by UPM together with the fertiliser and crop nutrition expert Yara Suomi Oy to develop nutrient recycling. Funding has been granted for the years 2017-2018.

“The project by UPM and Yara Suomi is a concrete initiative to develop and test fertilisers with clear-cut targets”, says Senior Officer Anni Karhunen from the Ministry of the Environment.

“I am particularly happy that, for the first time, someone is really looking into the possibilities of reusing nutrients in the side streams of the forest industry. The projects that were chosen for the Raki funding once again include many different companies, so I am confident it will also lead to new business development”, she continues.

“The joint project by UPM and Yara concentrates on the possibilities for the agricultural reuse of nutrients retrieved from the sludge originating from the pulp and paper mill’s effluent treatment plants and the ash from the incineration process”, says Esa Laurinsilta, Director of Strategic Partnerships at UPM.

“Together with UPM’s R&D team, we are developing a nutrient solution that contains the correct ratio of recycled and mineral nutrients”, says Timo Räsänen, Commercial Director at Yara Suomi. The research and development is carried out in UPM’s Research Centre in Lappeenranta and Yara’s Kotkaniemi Research Station in Vihti. “Recycled fertilisers do not automatically contain the correct amount of nutrients, so they need to be supplemented by mineral fertilisers that the plants can utilise without difficulties. This ensures that all nutrients move to the plants during the growing season and do not remain in the fields to then be washed up to waterways”, Timo Räsänen continues.

“The two companies have a shared goal to develop an efficient, industrial-scale nutrient solution including recycled fertiliser that can be used to help produce clean domestic food profitably and with minimum environmental emissions. The joint project is a great example of circular economy, resource efficiency and industrial collaboration”, conclude Laurinsilta and Räsänen.

One of the targets of the Finnish Government Programme is to increase the profitability of food production without compromising environmental protection and to make Finland a model of nutrient recycling. The second phase of the Raki programme was launched as part of Prime Minister Sipilä’s Government’s key project Breakthrough of a circular economy, getting waters into good condition, which aims to also utilise  circular economy to promote the good ecological state of the Baltic Sea and to improve nutrient recycling.
http://www.upm.com/About-us/Newsroom/Releases/Pages/UPM-and-Yara-to-co-develop-recycled-fertilisers-001-Thu-10-Nov-2016-10-03.aspx

Related Posts

Amazon Announces $2 Billion Climate Pledge Fund to Invest in Companies Building Products, Services, and Technologies to Decarbonize the Economy and Protect the Planet

Amazon announced The Climate Pledge Fund to support the development of sustainable technologies and services that will enable Amazon and other companies to meet The Climate Pledge—a commitment to be net zero carbon by 2040. This dedicated venture investment program—with an initial $2 billion in funding—will back visionary companies whose products and services will facilitate the transition to a zero carbon economy. Last year, Amazon and Global Optimism co-founded The Climate Pledge, a commitment to reach the Paris Agreement ten years early and be net zero carbon by 2040. Verizon, Reckitt Benckiser (RB), and Infosys recently joined the pledge—sending an important signal to the market that there will be rapid growth in demand for products and services that help reduce carbon emissions. Amazon’s new Climate Pledge Fund will accelerate investment in innovations for the zero carbon economy of the future.

Sustainable forestry supports groundbreaking biochemicals business

Expected to start up by the end of 2022, our state-of-the-art biochemicals biorefinery in Leuna, Germany, will produce a range of 100% wood-based biochemicals that enable a switch from fossil-based products to sustainable alternatives in a number of end-uses such as plastics, textiles, cosmetics, and industrial applications. The Leuna plant will use hardwood trees native to Germany, where the share of mixed forests has increased, as they are more resilient to the effects of climate change and help to maintain biodiversity. According to Andreas Meggendorfer, Senior Manager Sourcing and Supply Chain Biochemicals at UPM, the new business will now be able to find use cases for hardwood, where industrial applications have so far been limited.

AF&PA Disappointed in EPA Retaining Federal Human Health Water Quality Standards for the State of Maine

American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) President and CEO Donna Harman issued the following statement regarding the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision to retain federal Human Health Water Quality standards for the state of Maine. The Department of Justice stated EPA’s position in its filing with the U.S. District Court in Maine on Friday, Dec. 8. “We are disappointed in the EPA’s move to retain the fundamentally flawed approach to federal Human Health Water Quality Standards final rule in a state known for consistently applying stringent, conservative standards to protect all of its waters. EPA’s action overrides the state’s protective water quality standards, ignores sound science, is legally unsound, and could result in extremely high costs with negligible benefit. We will continue to advocate for fact and data-driven public policy that respects the role of the states in our regulatory system and does more good than harm.”
Back To Top
×Close search
Search