Practice Abstract - Research and innovation

From animal waste to plant nutrition

United Kingdom

Livestock production generates valuable food and materials, but bones and other unused by-products are often lost from the agricultural system. Animal bones contain hydroxyapatite, a calcium phosphate mineral that can be converted into a plant-available phosphorus fertiliser. Field trials have shown that this recycled phosphorus source can achieve crop yields comparable to conventional phosphorus fertilisers.

The need

Fertilisation is essential to replace nutrients removed through crop production and maintain agricultural productivity. Phosphorus fertilisers are mainly produced from mined rock phosphate, but this resource faces two major challenges. Around 80% of global reserves are located in Morocco and Western Sahara, making supplies vulnerable to geopolitical instability, while some rock phosphate contains cadmium, creating a risk of long-term soil contamination.

Recycling phosphorus from animal bones offers a circular alternative that reduces dependence on imported rock phosphate while avoiding cadmium contamination.

The benefits

The recycled phosphorus fertiliser provides several advantages:

  • It recovers livestock waste and creates an additional domestic source of phosphorus, supporting more resilient fertiliser supply chains.
  • It avoids cadmium contamination associated with some mined rock phosphate.
  • Besides phosphorus, it also supplies other crop nutrients. For winter wheat, the fertiliser can provide the full phosphorus and sulphur requirements, together with around 6% of nitrogen and 8% of potassium needs, reducing fertiliser costs and resource use.
  • Developing fertilisers from livestock by-products can create new value chains and increase the economic value of animal production.

Additional information

trans4num solution

A multi-year field trial was conducted at Rothamsted Research (North Wyke, UK) using grass silage and winter arable crops. Three fertiliser treatments were compared:

  • conventional commercial fertilisers;
  • a novel phosphorus fertiliser produced from livestock waste (animal bones);
  • an unfertilised control.

Fertiliser applications followed UK recommendations. Soil nutrient status was assessed before application, and phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium and sulphur were supplied according to crop requirements. Where the novel fertiliser alone could not fully meet nutrient demand, conventional fertilisers were added so that all fertilised treatments received equivalent nutrient inputs.

Fertilised crops consistently outperformed the unfertilised control, while no significant differences were observed between the recycled fertiliser and conventional fertiliser for grass silage or winter wheat yields. These results demonstrate that phosphorus fertiliser produced from livestock waste can perform as effectively as conventional phosphorus fertilisers. Further nutrient analyses will investigate additional crop benefits previously observed in controlled-environment studies.

Challenges / limitations

Key barriers include technical and business challenges in bringing the product to market, high manufacturing energy costs, farmer acceptance of a novel fertiliser, and established purchasing practices based on commodity pricing.

Resources needed

Successful implementation requires supportive phosphorus policies, business development support for SMEs entering the fertiliser market, and effective knowledge exchange to demonstrate the scientific evidence and build confidence among agronomists and farmers.

Source Project
Transformation for sustainable nutrient supply and management
Ongoing | 2022-2026
Main funding source
Horizon Europe (EU Research and Innovation Programme)
Geographical location
Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Romania, Switzerland, The United Kingdom, China
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