Erik Sindhøj
Senior Researcher
Department of Agriculture and Environmental Engineering
RISE Research Institutes of Sweden
Swedenerik.sindhoj@ri.se
Cheryl Marie Cordeiro
Senior Researcher
Department of Circular Wastewater Systems
RISE Research Institutes of Sweden
Swedencheryl.marie.cordeiro@ri.se
Background
Nutrient losses from agriculture drive eutrophication in the Baltic Sea. To address this, the Baltic Sea Regional Nutrient Recycling Strategy (BSR NRS) and the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) Policy Area (PA) Nutri provide a framework for minimizing nutrient losses and promoting circular nutrient use through enhancing nutrient recycling. PA Nutri plays a key role in coordinating regional cooperation and aligning policies to support transnational nutrient management efforts.
However, despite policy commitments, the transition to circular nutrient solutions faces significant challenges, including technological, economic and regulatory barriers. The CiNURGi project, funded by Interreg BSR (#C049), directly supports BSR NRS and PA Nutri by addressing these challenges through a cross sectoral approach, linking agriculture, municipal, and industrial nutrient recycling solutions to promote regional circular nutrient management. This article explores CiNURGi’s approach to addressing these challenges to advance nutrient recycling in the BSR.
Challenges in scaling up nutrient recycling
Despite their benefits, Recycled Nutrient Fertilizers (RNFs) face technical, logistical, economic, and regulatory hurdles. Unlike cheap, consistent, and easy-to-use mineral fertilizers, RNFs often have higher costs, quality variability, and infrastructure limitations. CiNURGi facilitates transnational collaboration, bringing together partners across the BSR to support nutrient reallocation strategies and RNF adoption.
Technological challenges
Advancing nutrient recovery technologies is essential for making RNFs more viable. While methods such as struvite precipitation, biochar production, and anaerobic digestion (AD) have improved nutrient recycling, they still face high costs, energy demands, and efficiency limitations. Struvite precipitation efficiently extract phosphorus, but contaminant risks and chemical input costs can hinder large-scale implementation. Biochar production recovers phosphorus and potassium but lacks efficient nitrogen capture, and uncertainties remain about nutrient availability in biochar. AD is widely used for manure and food waste streams, yet high transportation and management costs limit the recycling potential of nutrients in digestate.
To address these limitations, CiNURGi is piloting phosphorus-rich fertilizers from incinerated biomass, source-separated dried urine fertilizers, and precision agriculture technologies for better nutrient-use efficiency. By implementing pilot investments, CiNURGi demonstrates scalable solutions to enhance the efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and quality of RNFs. In addition, CiNURGi has established Technology Support Centers to help match processing technologies with nutrient-rich biomass streams and secondary raw materials, supporting farmers, SMEs, and policymakers in adopting tailored nutrient recycling solutions. The project also highlights successful case studies of RNF production across the BSR.
Contaminants and safety concerns, agronomic reliability
Nutrient losses from agriculture drive eutrophication in the Baltic Sea. To address this, the Baltic Sea Regional Nutrient Recycling Strategy (BSR NRS) and the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) Policy Area (PA) Nutri provide a framework for minimizing nutrient losses and promoting circular nutrient use through enhancing nutrient recycling. PA Nutri plays a key role in coordinating regional cooperation and aligning policies to support transnational nutrient management efforts.
However, despite policy commitments, the transition to circular nutrient solutions faces significant challenges, including technological, economic and regulatory barriers. The CiNURGi project, funded by Interreg BSR (#C049), directly supports BSR NRS and PA Nutri by addressing these challenges through a cross sectoral approach, linking agriculture, municipal, and industrial nutrient recycling solutions to promote regional circular nutrient management. This article explores CiNURGi’s approach to addressing these challenges to advance nutrient recycling in the BSR.
Challenges in scaling up nutrient recycling
Despite their benefits, Recycled Nutrient Fertilizers (RNFs) face technical, logistical, economic, and regulatory hurdles. Unlike cheap, consistent, and easy-to-use mineral fertilizers, RNFs often have higher costs, quality variability, and infrastructure limitations. CiNURGi facilitates transnational collaboration, bringing together partners across the BSR to support nutrient reallocation strategies and RNF adoption.
Technological challenges
Advancing nutrient recovery technologies is essential for making RNFs more viable. While methods such as struvite precipitation, biochar production, and anaerobic digestion (AD) have improved nutrient recycling, they still face high costs, energy demands, and efficiency limitations. Struvite precipitation efficiently extract phosphorus, but contaminant risks and chemical input costs can hinder large-scale implementation. Biochar production recovers phosphorus and potassium but lacks efficient nitrogen capture, and uncertainties remain about nutrient availability in biochar. AD is widely used for manure and food waste streams, yet high transportation and management costs limit the recycling potential of nutrients in digestate.
To address these limitations, CiNURGi is piloting phosphorus-rich fertilizers from incinerated biomass, source-separated dried urine fertilizers, and precision agriculture technologies for better nutrient-use efficiency. By implementing pilot investments, CiNURGi demonstrates scalable solutions to enhance the efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and quality of RNFs. In addition, CiNURGi has established Technology Support Centers to help match processing technologies with nutrient-rich biomass streams and secondary raw materials, supporting farmers, SMEs, and policymakers in adopting tailored nutrient recycling solutions. The project also highlights successful case studies of RNF production across the BSR.
Contaminants and safety concerns, agronomic reliability
Ensuring safe and reliable RNFs is critical. Depending on the feedstock and processing method, RNFs may contain heavy metals, organic pollutants, pathogens, or microplastics. Emerging contaminants, such as antibiotic resistance genes and microplastics, require ongoing research and monitoring to mitigate environmental and health risks. Regulatory frameworks must balance safety and innovation, ensuring strict safety standards do not stifle progress in nutrient recycling technologies.
To address these concerns, CiNURGi is developing industry safety guidelines and pollutant monitoring protocols, ensuring RNFs meet quality standards for agricultural use. Through comprehensive assessments of pollutant levels in different waste streams, the project identifies risks and determines best practices for processing. CiNURGi is also working on regional safety requirements to align RNF production with EU fertilizer regulations while allowing room for technological innovation.
Agronomic performance is another key concern. Farmers may hesitate to adopt RNFs due to variability in nutrient content and availability, which can impact crop yields and profitability. Unlike synthetic fertilizers with precise formulations, RNFs vary depending on feedstock composition and processing techniques. To improve confidence in RNFs, CiNURGi has established Evaluation Centers to test draft industry standards and assess the agronomic potential of these products.
Spatial and logistical barriers
One of the biggest challenges in nutrient recycling is the geographic mismatch between nutrient surplus regions, often livestock-intensive areas, and nutrient-deficit regions, where crops require fertilization. Transporting bulky, low-nutrient-density materials such as manure, digestate, or sludge over long distances is costly and inefficient.
To address this, CiNURGi is mapping biomass streams to identify nutrient hotspots and determine regional nutrient deficits, enabling more efficient redistribution strategies. This ensures that nutrients reach the areas where they are most needed, reducing waste and improving circular nutrient flows.
Economic barriers
The high cost of RNFs is a major hurdle to farmer adoption. While mineral fertilizers remain the cheaper and more convenient option, RNFs often have high processing, production, and transportation costs. Without market support mechanisms or financial incentives, RNFs struggle to compete with synthetic fertilizers.
Regulatory and policy challenges
Regulatory frameworks play a crucial role in shaping the RNF market, but current policies often lack flexibility or create barriers to adoption. Strict EU contaminant regulations, while essential for environmental protection, can limit innovation in nutrient recycling technologies. At the same time, there are few incentives for farmers to switch to RNFs, slowing market development. To scale up RNF adoption, policies must provide financial incentives, such as subsidies, tax reductions, and certification programs to support both RNF producers and farmers. Regulations should also facilitate nutrient redistribution, allowing nutrients from surplus livestock regions to be transported to deficit crop production areas more efficiently.
Moving forward
Overcoming these challenges requires technological advancements, improved logistics, stronger regulatory frameworks, and financial incentives to support nutrient recycling. A key factor in scaling up RNF adoption is market demand—without a strong market pull, production will remain limited. Farmers and the food industry need clear economic incentives to choose RNFs over conventional fertilizers. Policies should stimulate demand through subsidies, tax incentives, and procurement programs, making RNFs a financially viable alternative. Additionally, certification schemes and guaranteed markets—such as public sector commitments to purchase RNFs—can help build confidence and long-term investment in the sector.
The EUSBSR PA Nutri plays a critical role in ensuring that nutrient recycling remains a transnational priority. Through its coordination efforts, PA Nutri fosters policy alignment, promotes best practices, and facilitates cooperation among countries to stay focused on the goal of increasing circularity with nutrients. Continued support for PA Nutri is essential to ensuring regional consistency in nutrient recycling strategies, strengthening policy incentives, and driving investments in circular nutrient solutions.
Achieving a circular nutrient economy will depend largely on policy frameworks that not only promotes RNF production but also create a stable and growing market for these products. If demand is established, production will follow, driving further innovation and cost reductions. With the right policy coordination, financial incentives, and cross-sector collaboration, RNFs can become a competitive and trusted alternative in modern agriculture, helping close nutrient loops and reduce agricultures environmental impact across the Baltic Sea Region.
To address these concerns, CiNURGi is developing industry safety guidelines and pollutant monitoring protocols, ensuring RNFs meet quality standards for agricultural use. Through comprehensive assessments of pollutant levels in different waste streams, the project identifies risks and determines best practices for processing. CiNURGi is also working on regional safety requirements to align RNF production with EU fertilizer regulations while allowing room for technological innovation.
Agronomic performance is another key concern. Farmers may hesitate to adopt RNFs due to variability in nutrient content and availability, which can impact crop yields and profitability. Unlike synthetic fertilizers with precise formulations, RNFs vary depending on feedstock composition and processing techniques. To improve confidence in RNFs, CiNURGi has established Evaluation Centers to test draft industry standards and assess the agronomic potential of these products.
Spatial and logistical barriers
One of the biggest challenges in nutrient recycling is the geographic mismatch between nutrient surplus regions, often livestock-intensive areas, and nutrient-deficit regions, where crops require fertilization. Transporting bulky, low-nutrient-density materials such as manure, digestate, or sludge over long distances is costly and inefficient.
To address this, CiNURGi is mapping biomass streams to identify nutrient hotspots and determine regional nutrient deficits, enabling more efficient redistribution strategies. This ensures that nutrients reach the areas where they are most needed, reducing waste and improving circular nutrient flows.
Economic barriers
The high cost of RNFs is a major hurdle to farmer adoption. While mineral fertilizers remain the cheaper and more convenient option, RNFs often have high processing, production, and transportation costs. Without market support mechanisms or financial incentives, RNFs struggle to compete with synthetic fertilizers.
Regulatory and policy challenges
Regulatory frameworks play a crucial role in shaping the RNF market, but current policies often lack flexibility or create barriers to adoption. Strict EU contaminant regulations, while essential for environmental protection, can limit innovation in nutrient recycling technologies. At the same time, there are few incentives for farmers to switch to RNFs, slowing market development. To scale up RNF adoption, policies must provide financial incentives, such as subsidies, tax reductions, and certification programs to support both RNF producers and farmers. Regulations should also facilitate nutrient redistribution, allowing nutrients from surplus livestock regions to be transported to deficit crop production areas more efficiently.
Moving forward
Overcoming these challenges requires technological advancements, improved logistics, stronger regulatory frameworks, and financial incentives to support nutrient recycling. A key factor in scaling up RNF adoption is market demand—without a strong market pull, production will remain limited. Farmers and the food industry need clear economic incentives to choose RNFs over conventional fertilizers. Policies should stimulate demand through subsidies, tax incentives, and procurement programs, making RNFs a financially viable alternative. Additionally, certification schemes and guaranteed markets—such as public sector commitments to purchase RNFs—can help build confidence and long-term investment in the sector.
The EUSBSR PA Nutri plays a critical role in ensuring that nutrient recycling remains a transnational priority. Through its coordination efforts, PA Nutri fosters policy alignment, promotes best practices, and facilitates cooperation among countries to stay focused on the goal of increasing circularity with nutrients. Continued support for PA Nutri is essential to ensuring regional consistency in nutrient recycling strategies, strengthening policy incentives, and driving investments in circular nutrient solutions.
Achieving a circular nutrient economy will depend largely on policy frameworks that not only promotes RNF production but also create a stable and growing market for these products. If demand is established, production will follow, driving further innovation and cost reductions. With the right policy coordination, financial incentives, and cross-sector collaboration, RNFs can become a competitive and trusted alternative in modern agriculture, helping close nutrient loops and reduce agricultures environmental impact across the Baltic Sea Region.