Factsheets of five large-scale anaerobic digesters applying nutrient recovery and reuse : A product from the H2020 project SYSTEMIC

Groot Zevert Vergisting (GZV), located in Beltrum, the Netherlands, started its biogas production in 2004. The plant has a processing capacity of 135 kilotonnes (kt) of feedstock through mesophilic digestion per year. In 2019, GZV started with the production of biobased fertilisers and purified water from digestate. The aim is to offer a sustainable solution for the manure surplus in the region. GZV decided to invest in nutrient recovery and reuse (NRR) systems to process digestate into valuable biobased fertilisers: • Reverse osmosis (RO) concentrate to be used within the region; • Purified water which is allowed to be discharged in a nearby river; • Low-P soil improver; • Precipitated P salts to be used as raw material to produce fertilisers by fertiliser producing companies. These biobased fertilisers can be used within the region and some of them can be exported over long distances against low costs as their volumes are reduced by processing.