GREEN

Generating sustainable, Responsible, Effective, and Eco-frieNdly delivery systems for fertilising products

Project details

Type of project: Research & Innovation Action
Feedstock origin: Agri-food waste
Feedstock type: Crop residues

Project period: 1 October 2026 - 30 September 2030
Status: Upcoming
CBE JU Contribution: € 3 325 140,00
Call identifier: HORIZON-JU-CBE-2025

Summary

The agricultural sector is under pressure to meet a projected doubling of global food demand by 2060. Enhanced Efficiency Fertilisers, particularly controlled- and slow-release types, improve nutrient use efficiency and reduce nutrient losses. However, conventional systems rely on non-biodegradable polymers, generating an estimated 22,500 tonnes of microplastics annually in the European Economic Area, and often deliver nutrients inconsistently, harming soil health.

GREEN proposes to develop multifunctional bio-based biodegradable delivery systems (BBDS) as a safe, sustainable, and affordable alternative to fertilisers. These systems provide crop-specific nutrient release triggered by environmental cues and are fully biodegradable in soil and water.

Using renewable plant-based feedstocks, suitable for application across conventional and organic farming systems, these BBDS will improve nutrient use, support soil health, and promote microbial activity by combining macronutrients, micronutrients, and natural plant boosters in a single system.

Establish a safe-and-sustainable-by-design framework for BBDS that facilitates the integration of safety and sustainability criteria, aligned with existing and upcoming EU regulatory requirements.
Develop individual BBDS based on surface coatings, porous scaffolds, microencapsulation, and molecular complexes from seven diverse bio-based feedstocks such as forestry, agri-food and animal-based by-products.
Prepare and optimise 10 multifunctional BBDS designed for climate-specific uses - five for wet and five for dry conditions.
Scale up six optimised hierarchical BBDS with satisfactory affordability, ensuring integration with existing fertiliser production processes.
Validate agronomic performance through lab-scale, greenhouse, and small-scale field trials under relevant climate and soil conditions.
Accomplish long-term environmental effects of project BBDS, focusing on biodegradation, soil health, water quality, and microplastic pollution prevention.
Assess and evidence the economic viability and market readiness of six hierarchical BBDS end-products for fertilisers.
Demonstrate the adaptability of the novel BBDS for other agricultural products such as pesticides and seed coatings.
Create new value chains for BBDS at the regional and local levels with increased synergy between farmers and bio-based industries specialised in fertiliser delivery systems.
Enhance inclusive stakeholder engagement and increase societal trust in BBDS through product co-creation and compliance with standardisation requirements.

Launch four BBDS fertilisers, each with a production line outputting at least 20,000–25,000 tonnes per year.
Enable market entry and expand BBDS to include at least one seed coating and one plant protection product solution, both integrated into industrial pilot lines.
Establish three new BBDS regional value chains in Europe, supporting the local bioeconomy with innovative business models and employment in production, logistics, and application.
Increase public trust in bio-based fertilisers due to transparent safe-and-sustainable-by-design compliance, with over 60% farmer adoption in pilot areas continuing to use BBDS, and with over 100 farmers trained.
Achieve a 30% reduction in nutrient leaching and ensure the absence of detectable microplastic residues, safeguarding aquatic and soil ecosystems.
Increase nutrient efficiency by 20% and yield by 10%, validated under various agro-climatic settings.
Achieve 90% soil biodegradation in 48 months and over 40% aquatic biodegradation within one year, eliminating microplastic residues.
Reduce fertilisation-related greenhouse gas emissions by 20%, significantly improving soil health and biodiversity.
Support the resource-efficient, optimised production processes using organic waste feedstocks with minimal solvent, water, and energy inputs, integrated into existing lines.

Consortium map

Project coordination

THE UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM Birmingham, United Kingdom

Consortium

NEXT TECHNOLOGY TECNOTESSILE SOCIETA NAZIONALE DI RICERCA R L PRATO, Italy
AIMPLAS - ASOCIACION DE INVESTIGACION DE MATERIALES PLASTICOS Y CONEXAS Paterna, Spain
STIFTELSEN NILU Kjeller, Norway
ADVANCED MINERALS AND RECYCLING INDUSTRIAL SOLUTIONS IKE IRAKLEIO ATTIKIS, Greece
AGRO INNOVATION INTERNATIONAL SAINT-MALO, France
SVERIGES LANTBRUKSUNIVERSITET Uppsala, Sweden
INNOVATION IN DISSEMINATING MATERIALS TECHNOLOGIES LTD Birmingham, United Kingdom
TIMAC AGRO ESPAÑA Orcoyen, Spain
POLITECNICO DI MILANO Milano, Italy
NORGENOTECH AS OSLO, Norway
NORMEC OWS GENT, Belgium
A N S.COOP. TAJONAR NAVARRA, Spain