Sinn F\u00e9in spokesperson for agriculture in Northern Ireland, MLA Declan McAleer, believes that progress has been made in developing systems capable of extracting phosphorus from slurries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This development is linked to the rolling out of the Sustainable\u00a0Utilisation of Livestock Slurry programme, introduced by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The initiative has been co-funded by Stormont\u2019s Department for the Economy under the auspices of Northern Ireland\u2019s Strategic Investment Board (SIB).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The new programme has been designed to take forward the development of projects, which act to reduce surplus phosphorus within production agriculture and ensure efficient recycling of organic nutrients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Up to \u00a312 million of funding is to be provided to assist three suppliers to develop demonstration plants for a bio-circular economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Declan McAleer told Agriland: \u201cThe new project will make a significant reduction on the current levels of excess phosphorus by reducing the excess nutrient from slurry by at least 1,000t per year by the end of year three.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cThis will provide an on-farm solution and is about the separation of slurry on-farm. Similar to a milk run, someone will go around farms with a mobile unit separating slurry and take away the solids to an anaerobic digestion plant. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
“The focus is on cattle and pig farmers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Phosphorus from slurries<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
According to McAleer the development of new phosphorous extraction technologies will deliver numerous benefits, on-farm, across Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey will allow farmers to put out slurry when best use can be made of the soil nutrient rather than spreading it when they have to,” he explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cIn addition, these new technologies will free up space in tanks while also linking-in with the soil nutrient health scheme.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is an important government intervention and deals with the problems the north currently faced regarding excess\u00a0phosphorus. It this will also form part of the Lough Neagh<\/a> Action Plan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The suppliers selected for the Sustainable Utilisation of Livestock Slurry programme were required to meet a number of core objectives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These include the development of practical and economic models where livestock slurry can be separated, with minimal nitrogen and methane losses, to produce feedstock for renewable energy, in a bio-secure manner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This feedstock can then be used for biogas or biomethane production via anaerobic digestion (AD) to decarbonise the electricity and gas networks in Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Research was also focused on technologies to extract nutrients from the process to produce replacements for chemical fertilisers or to produce compost for use across a number of markets.<\/p>\n\n\n