LV13482B - Biological fertilizer - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for the preparation of a biological fertilizer comprising subjecting whey to a first fermentation step and the addition of a carrier material to the fermented whey and a biological fertilizer obtainable by the method. The biological fertilizer can be used as a replacement of the present artificial fertilizers thereby reducing many of the environmental problems associated with these artificial fertilizers. In addition, the biological fertilizer according to the present invention can be used in the field of biological agriculture for which, until the present biological fertilizer, no fertilizers were available.

Description

BIOLOGICAL FERTILIZER CONTAINING WHEY

The present invention compares to methods for preparing a biological fertilizer and a biological fertilizer obtainable by said method. The present invention further relates to a composition for fertilizing soil comprising a biological fertilizer, and to using a composition for fertilizing a substrate for plant growth. In addition, the present invention relates to a method for fertilizing soil.

A sustainable form of agriculture, i.e., one that does not simply exploit the inherited fertility of agricultural soils, is based on the premise that plant nutrients that are removed with the harvested crops will be replaced.

It is a regular supply of sufficient quantities of plant nutrients which has, over the past 100 years, maintained and even improved the fertility of farmers fields in Europe. Combined with advances in plant and animal breeding, plant protection, farm mechanization and land management, plant nutrition has been responsible for an increase in European farm output in recent years, a spite of reduction in the totai agricultural area.

Plant nutrients are available from four different sources: 1) soil itself, 2) livestock, municipal and industrial wastes, 3) biological nitrogen fixation, and 4) mineral fertilizers, also designated as artificial fertilizers.

Mineral fertilizers allow farmers to supplement plant nutrients, like trace elements, mineral, nitrogen, carbon, etc. and thus match the supply of nutrients with the needs of the crops. They are, in fact, the only nutrients that can be tailored to meet the crops' exact recptirements.

Providing guaranteed contents and application as and when required. Mineral fertilizers are cost-effective means of achieving sustainable crop production and improvements in the quality of food and fodder. There is, at present, no alternative to mineral fertilizers on a regional or global scale if food supply is required.

The major drawback of mineral fertilizers is the ineffective use of the fertilizer due to the release pattern of the plant nutrients from the mineral fertilizer into the soil. Upon application to soil, the nutrients present in the mineral fertilizers are usually burst released, i.e., the nutrients are released into the soil in a relatively short period of time. Since during plant growth, which usually requires several months, the concentration of nutrients is transiently decreasing, due to, for example, wash out or degradation, . Thus, a relatively large portion of the mineral fertilizer supplement is needed to compensate for the losses occurring during the growth period and not for the intended nutrient supplementation of the growing plants.

In addition, a relatively large portion of plant nutrients are not used by growing plants. As a consequence, eventually the not-used plant nutrients are introduced into the environment, by, for example, wash out. This wash out of plant nutrients can cause severe environmental problems like oxygen depletion in water by algae growth, destruetion of epitopes by unnatural nutrient supply , disruption of the species balance between species like an abnormal nettle growth, and a general decrease in the number of species, both plant an animal, present in an epitope.

Therefore, it is the goal of the present invention to provide a cost-effective fertilizer which is more effective in supplementing the nutrients to the growing plants and thus in reducing the amount of the plant nutrients introduced into the environment. order to minimize or even eliminate environmental problems associated with this introduction. Because of the latter, such fertilizers are designated biological friendly or biological fertilizers as opposed to present mineral (artificial) fertilizers.

According to the present invention, this goal is achieved by providing a method for the preparation of a biological fertilizer comprising the fermentation of a whey and the addition of a carrier material to the fermented whey.

Whey is the wate.ry part of the milk that is separated from the coagulable part or curd, especially in the process of making cheese, and that is rich in lactose, mineral, and vitamins, and contains lactalbumin and traces of fat. At present, whey is considered a waste product of the cheese making industry and is usually discarded, thus providing a cost-effective starting material for a fertilizer.

In addition, since whey is a kind of product, that is, a product that has undergone minimal processing and contains no preservatives or artificial additives when the carrier material is also a kind of fertilizer based on whey as starting material does riot introduce these possible toxic or harmful preservatives and / or additives into the environment in contrast to chemically synthesized mineral (artificial) fertilizers.

This allows for the use of biological fertilizers according to the invention by biological farmers, i.e., farmers vvhich from the principal point of view of using non-natural products such as mineral fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides. Until now, no other fertilizers are available to these farmers severely limiting crop yields.

According to the invention, the whey is fermented in a first fermentation step, for example within 2 days at room temperature under stirring, although any fermentation protocol can be used like fermentation at elevated temperatures, fermentation in an automated fermentation device, etc.

The carrier material according to the invention, being preferably obtained from the source and in addition to the in-solid form, can be used to provide 1) additional carbon source, 2) allovv for improved transport and handling characteristics of the biological fertilizer , and 3) prevent vvash out of the fermented whey after-application.

The fermented whey in combination vvith the carrier material provides a fertilizer vvhich supplies nutrients to the soil in a sustained or continued release pattern, ie a relatively constant release of nutrients over a relatively long period, probably due to the post-fermentation of the fertilizer by soil microorganisms after application.

The sustained release pattern requires less fertilizer as compared to the burst release pattern of (artificial) mineral fertilizers to achieve the desired nutrient concentration in the soil since less compensation is needed, thus providing a more effective use of the biological fertilizer according to the invention compared vvith the (artificial) mineral fertilizers.

In addition, since less fertilizer is needed for compensation, also less fertilizer is introduced into the environment, eliminating or reducing the environmental problems associated with this introduction.

Preferably, the ratios between the fermented whey and the carrier material in the biological fertilizer according to the invention are between 10 to 15, like 10, 11, 12, 13,, or 15 (whey: carrier). Using these ratios, enough texture is provided by the carrier material while optimally the benefits of fermented whey are maintained.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the whey, prior to and / or during the fermentation, is inoculated with a culture of microorganisms comprising either a single microorganism or a mixture of organisms. By adding a specific culture of microorganism, the first fermentation process can be performed faster and / or a better control of the process is achieved. In addition, the characteristics of the fermented whey can be influenced depending on the microorganism of choice like nitrogen and / or carbon content.

The fermentation of the whey is preferably carried out at pH 5 to 7, like pH5, 5.5, 6, 6.5, or 7, more preferred at pH 4 to 4.5, like pH 4, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4 or 4.5 , since at these pH's optimum fermentation is achieved.

In a second embodiment of the present invention, prior to addition of the carrier material, the fermented whey is filtered to separate the microbial biomass. Preferably, the principle of gravity feeding is used in the larger time scale. This allows for a low cost filtration step.

According to the third embodiment of the present invention, after addition of the carrier material, the second fermentation of the product obtained is performed. This second fermentation further improves the availability of nutrients in the biological carrier.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, lime is added to the biological fertilizer. In addition to improving the texture of the biological fertilizer, lime adds an addition of calcium source to the biological fertilizer.

Because of the negative influence of gum resin on the optional second fermentation step, and on the possible post-fermentation process, the carrier material according to the invention is preferably a gum resin-poor carrier material. In addition, the accumulation of biomass in the fermentation process (es) can be further optimized by using a carrier material which is cellulose-rich. Specific examples of carrier material according to the present invention are saw dust, beech saw dust, oak saw dust, dried nettle, etc.

Additives can be added to the biological fertilizer like trace elements, nutrients, minerals, growth hormones, stabilizers, organic compounds, antibiotics, etc.

Preferably, the biological fertilizer according to the present invention is in the form of a powder, granules, suspension, dispersion, fibrous matter, soiution, mixture, or combinations notes.

The biological fertilizer can be used in a composition comprising the biological fertilizer and any substances normally used in the field

As already outlined above, the biological fertilizer according to the present invention is especially suited to be used for fertilizing a substrate for plant growth because of the sustained release pattern. Examples of suitable substrates include soil, vermiculite, glass fibers, rockwool, and / or aguaculture.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the biological fertilizer is used in a method for fertilizing soil comprising: an application of a biological fertilizer or composition according to the present invention onto and / or into the soil.

It was surprisingly found that only nutrients are effectively supplied to soil but also soil composition and / or soil structure are improved. One possible mechanism for observed improvement can be the addition of microorganisms to soil. The microorganisms enhance the flora and fauna resulting from improved resistance against diseases, more worms, improved digestion of other organic material, etc.,

The present invention will be further illustrated in the following examples. These examples should not be construed as limiting.

ΕΧΑΜΡΙ, Ε

Preparation of a biological fertilizer according to the present invention

The biological fertilizer according to the invention was prepared by subjecting whey obtained from a cheese produetion facility to a first fermentation step. The whey was stirred at room temperature for two days to incorporate the nutrients into the whey like Ca, Κ, N, C etc, into the forming biomass. After two days, the product obtained in the first fermentation step was filtered by gravitation filtration in order to increase the dry material content of the preparation. After discarding the ligated phase, the wood dust was added to the material remaining on the filter and the combined material was allowed to ferment in a second fermentation step at room temperature.

The percentage of the elements was measured and the results are shovvn in table 1

Table 1. elemental analysis of the biological fertilizer according to the present invention.

Element C 0 H N P K Ca S other mineral percentage 34 31st 5 8th 2 1 3 3 180

Claims (19)

A process for the production of a biologically active fertilizer comprising the first step of whey fermentation and addition of a carrier to the fermented whey. The process of claim 1, wherein the ratio of fermented whey to carrier is between 10 and 15. The method according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising inoculating the whey culture with the microorganism before and / or during the first whey fermentation. The process according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first fermentation is carried out at a pH between 5 and 7, preferably at a pH between 4 and 4.5. The process according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising fermented whey filtration prior to addition of the carrier. The process of any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a second fermentation step after the addition of the carrier. The method of any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising adding lime. The method of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the carrier is a stone-poor carrier. The process of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the carrier is a cellulose-rich carrier. The method of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the carrier is selected from the group consisting of sawdust, beech sawdust, oak sawdust, dried nettle and combinations thereof. A process according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising the addition of a trace element, a nutrient, a mineral, a growth hormone, a stabilizer, an organic compound and / or an antibiotic. The method of any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the biologically active fertilizer is in the form of a powder, granules, suspension, dispersion, fibrous material, solution, mixture and combinations thereof. 13. A biologically active fertilizer obtainable by a process according to any one of the Claims 1 to 12. Fermented whey for the production of a biologically active fertilizer according to claim 13. The organic soil fertilizer composition comprising the biologically active fertilizer of claim 13. The use of a biologically active fertilizer according to claim 13 or a composition according to claim 15 for fertilizing a substrate for growing a plant. The use according to claim 16, wherein the substrate for growing the plant consists of soil, vermiculite, fiberglass, rock wool and aquaculture. The use of a biologically active fertilizer according to claim 13 or a composition according to claim 15 for improving soil composition and / or soil structure. A method of fertilizing a soil comprising applying to a soil and / or soil a biologically active fertilizer according to claim 13 and a composition according to claim 15.