This proposal provides the necessary roadmap to establish an agriculture-related business that 1) grows the potential markets for organic fertilizer by enhancing its cost-competitiveness and effectiveness compared to artificial fertilizers; and 2) provides a means of reutilizing animal waste and agriculture residues to eliminate or reduce negative environmental impacts. Phase I focus is on identifying and refining the technologies requiring further evolution to reduce organic fertilizer production costs while improving nutrient capacity, predicted performance, application ease, odor control, and disease prevention. The technology development efforts concentrate on the use of a cryogenic falling film freezer for fertilizer substrate concentration, a cryogenic grinding method for precise particle size control needed for mixing/blending, and coating research to develop an organic spray additive to improve binding, agglomeration, pelletization, and reactivation of the final fertilizer products. This coating will also provide the needed odor control required for this type of production facility.
Anticipated Results/Potential Commercial Applications of Research: Our program will develop a commercial business based on sustainable organic fertilizer production and marketing. The resulting cryogenic production process will result in better, more cost effective fertilizer comprised purely of organic substrates. This program helps protect the environment by recycling otherwise unused agriculture residues. It also provides a needed organic fertilizer necessary for niche market success and standard compliance. The fertilizer reclaims animal waste, thereby limiting the potential for pollution. The small business we envision is ideally suited for small, rural communities.
