Source
doi:10.3389/fsufs.2018.00035 — original publication (opens in a new tab; the file is not redistributed)
Sánchez-Rodríguez et al. (2018) — Food-waste digestate N losses & characterisation
The quantitative primary behind CR_041 / CR_039 digestate NPK figures (UK)
Peer-reviewed (Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems 2:35, DOI 10.3389/fsufs.2018.00035). UK field trial (Bangor / Rothamsted), two sites. Table 3 is the digestate nutrient characterisation the NZ syntheses used as a transferable proxy.
Summary
A UK winter-wheat field study (two sites: Henfaes, Wales; North Wyke, England) testing methods — acidification and the nitrification inhibitor DMPP — to mitigate nitrogen losses from band-spread food-waste digestate. Its Table 3 digestate characterisation is the quantitative nutrient primary for the NZ digestate-biofertiliser syntheses; its trial results show digestate can match inorganic-fertiliser N-use efficiency, with acidification cutting ammonia losses ~95%.
Key claims
- claim: "Food-waste digestate nutrient characterisation (Table 3, fresh-weight basis, two UK AD plants): Total N 3.30 g/kg (Henfaes) to 4.43 g/kg (North Wyke); NH4-N = 90.3% (HF) and 81.7% (NW) of total N — i.e. the great majority of N is plant-available ammonium; NO3-N <10 mg/kg; Total P 0.56 (HF) to 0.76 (NW) g/kg; Total K 1.55 (HF) to 1.05 (NW) g/kg; pH ~8.0-8.2; dry matter 3.08-7.52%. Confirms the general AD finding that anaerobic digestion raises the plant-available ammonium-N share of total N to typically >70%."
source_location: "Table 3 (digestate properties, HF n=3 / NW n=6); Introduction (NH4-N:total N >70%)"
- claim: "Nitrogen-loss mitigation: surface-applied digestate can lose 35-65% of total N via NH3 volatilisation (literature); in this trial cumulative NH3-N losses were 27.6% of N applied (untreated digestate), reduced ~95% by acidification (to pH 5.5 with H2SO4). Cumulative N2O losses were 0.13-0.35% of total N applied, ~halved by the DMPP nitrification inhibitor (differences not significant). Grain yields for digestate treatments 7.23-9.23 t DM/ha; digestate nitrogen-use efficiency reached 84.2-103.6% of the yield from an equivalent inorganic-N rate — so food-waste digestate is a viable alternative to synthetic fertiliser, and advanced processing (acidification) makes it more N-efficient and environmentally sound."
source_location: "Abstract; Materials and Methods (treatments D/AD/D+NI/AD+NI); Results"Neobiome Intelligence relevance
The quantitative evidence base for digestate as a biofertiliser in anaerobic_digestion / D03 / D02 — the actual source of the NPK + plant-available-ammonium figures used (as a transferable proxy) in CR_041 and CR_039. ⚠ UK study, not NZ — but it is the evidence base the NZ BANZ/TG08 scheme is built on (UK PAS110), so it transfers. For a Neobiome community digester, it confirms the digestate ≈ a plant-available-N organic fertiliser substituting for synthetic N, and that simple processing (acidification) sharply cuts ammonia loss.
Notes
Filed PDF (open access, Frontiers). UK two-site winter-wheat trial. data_quality high (peer-reviewed; Table 3 read directly).
Connections
Links to
Technologies (1): Biogas (community-scale,…
Referenced by
Sources (7): CR_041 · LIT_106 · LIT_107 · LIT_108 · LIT_109 · LIT_110 · LIT_114
EDT domains (2): D02: Smart Food Systems & Agriculture · D03: Water, Waste & Circular Systems
Technologies (1): Biogas (community-scale,…