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The use of sheep wool as a biodegradable fertilizer composite
Industry: Management of raw materials and waste, agriculture
Manager: dr hab. inż. Edyta Molik, prof. URK
Broker: mgr inż. Magdalena Szara-Bąk
Phone: 12 662 48 53
Email: magdalena.szara-bak@innowacje-ur.pl
Possible forms of commercialization: spin-off company, sale, licence
As part of the project, an innovative, biodegradable agent improving soil properties 'WOOLSOIL-CRF' was created. The fertilizer matrix is a biodegradable thermoplastic polymer polylactide (PLA), while the modifiers are nutrients: nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and sulfur. The most important filling of the fertilizer is mixed sheep wool, which, due to its hygroscopic properties, accumulates and gradually releases water and slowly decomposes, gradually releasing nutrients. Fertilizer products based on sheep wool have the characteristics of slow-release fertilizers (CRF). The benefits of using CRF fertilizer containing wool fibers are important from both economic and environmental points of view, and the introduction of sheep wool into the crop production stream is an important link in the circular economy. The proposed fertilizer composite is fully biodegradable, so it can be used in mountain areas in organic farming or forest areas. The product recipe can be used in other geographical regions where there is also a problem with the use of three-fraction mixed wool.
Keywords: sheep wool, biodegradable polymers, agents improving soil properties, circular economy
