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Green protein LBST Report

Green protein production in a Circular Bio-Economic Partnership

Project partners:

  • Advanced Substrate Technologies A/S – AST
  • Green Protein
  • Rybjerg Biogas
  • Frandsbjerg Invest
  • AU-Agro

The overall conclusion is:

– that a “circular bioeconomic” interplay between biogas, green protein, fertilizer production via an AST-add-On with nitrification, and primary agricultural production makes very good sense, with positive effects on:

  • Climate
  • Resource use
  • Employment
  • Economy – primary agricultural production
  • Export and national economy

The concept opens up the production of fertilizer liquids with low dry matter content and low pH. This leads to a significant reduction in ammonia loss in the field, and the available plant nitrogen increases, resulting in interesting additional production in both grass for green protein and other agricultural products – wheat, among others.

The use of PKNO3 fertilizers for organic production can result in:

  1. An increase in the efficient utilization of applied nitrogen by 26 kg N/ha ~ 35%
  2. A reduction in ammonia loss in the field, resulting in reduced N2O emissions ~ 111 kg CO2-equivalent per ha
  3. The total consumption of nitrogen remaining unchanged
  4. An increase in yield from the current 80 tons per ha to 101 tons per ha in increased quantity for green protein
  5. An increase in wheat yield from the current 6 tons per ha to 8.1 tons per ha

The use of PKNO3 fertilizers for conventional production can result in:

  1. An increase in the efficient utilization of applied nitrogen by 33 kg N ~ 34% / 50 kg N ~ 36% per ha
  2. A reduction in ammonia loss in the field, resulting in reduced N2O emissions ~ 142 / 215 kg CO2-equivalent per ha
  3. A reduction in the total consumption of nitrogen by 3 kg ~ 2% / 16 kg ~ 7% per ha
  4. An increase in yield of grass for silage from the current 50 to 68 tons per ha
  5. An increase in wheat yield from the current 8.5 to 11.4 tons per ha

For organic production, an upward production spiral can be created with increased amounts of organic fertilizers and increased production per ha.

The total contribution margin – green protein and derived effects in biogas and fertilizer production – can be increased by 28%, and the contribution margin per ha by 24%.