• Letter Fertiliser Regulation. For information: letter signed by a number of stakeholders underlining the importance of the EU Fertilising Products Regulation for the nutrients Circular Economy

• STRUBIAS - EU Fertilisers Regulation criteria for phosphate salts and struvite, biochars and pyrolysis materials, and ashes
  
  • Report of final STRUBIAS Expert Group meeting, JRC Seville, 25-27 September 2018
  • Outcomes ESPP stakeholder meeting on STRUBIAS and EU Fertilisers Regulation (05-09-2018)
  • STRUBIAS full “Pre-Final Report and Appendix & Annexes”, circulated 13/8/18, includes report, annexes, market study and proposals for CMC requirements, labelling and conformity assessment. This is circulated for comment by the European Commission JRC. The Commission has specified that comments will be accepted ONLY via members of the STRUBIAS working group (this includes: ESPP, DPP and several ESPP members). The deadline for comments for STRUBIAS working group members is 14th September, so please transmit your comments to by 3 September latest. This report will be discussed (along with other aspects of the EU Fertilsiers Regulation) at the stakeholder meeting organised by ESPP in Brussels on 5th September. This meeting will also enable to see and hear the webinar organised by JRC to present this report, 5th September 14h-15h30. Registration: www.eventbrite.ca/e/eu-fertilisers-regulation-and-strubias-tickets-47156434164
  • Draft STRUBIAS market study (20-12-2017) - NOTE now REPLACED by “Pre-final report” of 13-08-2018
  • STRUBIAS Interim report & annexes and “nutrient recovery rules” (24-05-2017) - NOTE now REPLACED by “Pre-final report” of 13-08-2018
  • ESPP comments on the STRUBIAS draft report and proposed “nutrient recovery rules”
   
• ESPP input to thematic consultations:
  
  • Microplastics EU consultation (22-09-2017)
  • Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD) evaluation (09-11-2017)
  • Water Framework Directive (WFD) evaluation (17-11-2017)
  • Pharmaceuticals in the environment (18-02-2018)
  • EU funds in the area of investment, research & innovation, SMEs and single market (04-03-2018)
  • Revision of the Bioeconomy Strategy (20-03-2018)

• EU Fertiliser Regulation recast: taking recovered nutrient products into account in the EU Fertiliser Regulatin revision. The EU published the full regulation proposal text (17-03-2016) and ESPP made a summary in SCOPE Newsletter 120. ESPP has provided the following input to the European Commission:
  
  • Standards: DRAFT European Commission list of CE Standards to be adapted/developed to support implementation of the new Fertilisers Regulation. Comments welcome
  • EU Parliament adopted amendments (25-10-2017) as input to Trilogue
  • EU Council adopted amendments (12-12-2017) as input to Trilogue
  • ESPP first comments on this proposal text (12-05-2016)
  • ESPP proposed amendments to EU Fertilisers Regulation (21-02-17)
  • ESPP key messages on EU Fertiliser Regulation (05-02-2017)
  • ESPP proposals for input material criteria (EU STRUBIAS assessment):
    
    • ESPP proposal EU fertiliser criteria for struvite (24-04-2015)
    • ESPP proposal EU fertiliser (raw material) criteria for biomass ashes (14-09-2015)
    • ESPP proposal EU fertiliser criteria biochar (27-05-2016)
  • Reports and slides ESPP stakeholder meeting (05-09-2017) Brussels on the Fertiliser Regulation and STRUBIAS:
    
    • Breakout session conclusions on struvite/phosphate salts, ash based products, biochars, and other future materials
    • Introduction stakeholder meeting on the EU Fertilisers Regulation – Chris Thornton – ESPP
    • Fertilising Products Regulation – Update of the legislative procedure – Johanna Bernsel – EC DG GROW
    • Towards the implementation of fertilisers derived from secondary raw materials in the EU Fertiliser Regulation and STRUBIAS – Dries Huygens – EC JRC
    • Minrec, the New Swiss Category for Recycling Fertilizers - Anders Nättorp – FHNW
    • Inputs by stakeholders to the Fertiliser Regulation revision process
  • Joint industry statement on the EU fertilisers Regulation (20-11-2017)

• Nitrates Directive / recycled nutrient products from manure
  The EU Nitrates Directive specifies lower application limits for manure “even in a processed form” than for mineral fertilisers. Depending on application, this can discriminate against recycled nutrient products made from or partly from manure. ESPP is developing proposals to address this, whilst continuing to ensure environmental protection
  
  • Explanation of the issues and context: see SCOPE Newsletter n° 100
  • ESPP proposals (15/7/2017)
  • ESPP introduction presentation to ManuREsource 2017 Nitrates Directive discussion

• Authorisations of struvite / recovered phosphates as fertilisers in different EU countries:
  
  • General summary see SCOPE Newsletter n° 124
  • Summary of Netherlands regulations for use of recovered phosphates as fertilisers - Reststoffenunie (29-3-2016)
  • Denmark authorisation of struvite as fertiliser (English translation) - Aarhus Water (11-08-2014)
  • Japan authorisation of struvite as fertiliser (with English translation) - Swing Corporation (25-4-2019)
    
  • Flanders (Belgium) authorisation of struvite as fertiliser (English translation) - Agristo (17-04-2009)

• Phosphorus recycling legistlation at national level in Europe:
  
  • Switzerland: obligation to recover phosphorus from all sewage sludge and slaughterhouse waste (adopted), see SCOPE Newsletter n° 118 (page 13)
  • Germany: obligation to recover phosphorus from larger wastewater treatment plants (in adoption process), see eNews no. 7 and no. 6 and SCOPE Newsletter n° 122
  • Austria: proposed mandatory phosphorus recovery from sewage sludge (2016, in adoption process), see ESPP news item
  • Sweden: proposed national ordinance on sustainable phosphorus recycling by EPA (2013, no follow up yet), see SCOPE Newsletter n° 123 (page 11) and n° 97 (page 2)

• Information note on regulatory status of recovered struvite (REACH, Fertiliser Regulation, End-of-Waste) and see SCOPE Newsletter n° 124

• Organic Farming Regulation: proposed validation of recycled P products (struvite, calcined phosphates) - see ESPP eNews n° 4
  
  
• REACH (EU chemicals regulation):
  • Application of Art 2(7)d “recovered” substances, by-products
    • EU Commission letter 7/12/2015 confirming that recovered struvite, when subject to REACH, benefits from Art 2(7)d
  • Exemption for REACH of digestate - see SCOPE Newsletter n° 101
  • Link to REACH dossier for struvite: see EC# 232-075-2 in search at https://echa.europa.eu/search-for-chemicals -> “Registration Dossier”
  • ESPP input to REACH REFIT consultation, January 2017
    
    
• Best available techniques (BAT) BREFs (Industrial Emissions Directive):
  • BAT for waste incineration – objective: take into account the recovery of phosphorus from ashes, including inciting separative incineration of high-P streams to generate ash with P-recovery potential (mono-incineration of sewage sludge, not mixing with industrial sludge or municipal solid wastes)
  • BAT for intensive pig & poultry production – see SCOPE Newsletter n° 116, see also ESPP letter to EID Forum 30/9/2015
    
    
• Best management practices (BEMPs): EMAS (EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme Regulation) “agriculture” – see SCOPE Newsletter n° 116

• EU Critical Raw Materials list: - see SCOPE Newsletter n° 104 and SCOPE Newsletter n° 119
  
  • EU phosphorus MSA update
    
    
• Quality standards:
  • CEN (European Standards Organisation) recommendations on standards developments needed to support phosphorus recycling, adopted by CEN January 2017
  • ISO 13065 “Sustainability Criteria for Bioenergy” see SCOPE newsletter 117
  • ISO 275/TC (International Technical Committee) “Sludge recovery, recycling, treatment and disposal” including a specific working group on “Inorganics & nutrients recovery” see SCOPE newsletter 112

“STRUBIAS - EU Fertilisers Regulation criteria for phosphate salts and struvite, biochars and pyrolysis materials, ashes”