SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½

Sustaining Shropshire support helps fertiliser company grow

Posted 1 May

A family business has been helped to develop its organic-based fertilisers and research feedstocks by the business development project.

LOHAS Recycling, based near Oswestry in Shropshire , specialises in organic waste management.

Using advanced enzyme technology, the business, run by husband and wife team Lian and Carlo, shas developed a system to rapidly convert organic matter, such as chicken manure, cow manure, and food waste, into high-quality fertiliser.

With one product – based on chicken manure – already in the market, the company were seeking to extend their product range by developing a method to process food waste that will comply with UK regulations.

The company supplies both equipment and bespoke enzyme mixes for sustainable on-site waste processing, and also sells fertiliser it has produced from chicken manure.

As the technology is new to the UK the LOHAS team needed help working with UK authorities to get their products approved and permitted, to develop the liquid fertiliser and to conduct field trials on site at SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½– which is why they approached Sustaining Shropshire.

The Sustainable Shropshire initiative is a valuable resource for businesses in the Shropshire Council area, the programme provides free expert support to entrepreneurs and to small and medium sized businesses, in Shropshire’s flourishing agri-tech and food and drink sectors, to develop pioneering new ideas and boost sustainability. 

Sustaining Shropshire has helped more than 30 start ups and over 80 businesses with technical support and knowledge transfer.

Innovation Specialist from Sustaining Shropshire, Dr Jane Yardley, said: “LOHAS, working with Sustaining Shropshire, have been developing their system and gathering evidence on its performance for the Environment Agency and Animal Health Protection Agency.

“They approached our team – which drew on the wider expertise across SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ – for help in meeting the legal requirements for permitting and process approval, to conduct field trials on their commercially available poultry litter fertilizer and to investigate the potential of a new liquid fertiliser, and to look at horticultural markets for their products.”

With help from Dr Yardley and the Sustainable Shropshire team, field trials were conducted on-site at SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ with support from its Deputy Sector Manager for Crop Trials Sarah Cochrane and Regional Innovation Funding.

The team also supported in analytical testing of the fertiliser products including micronutrient levels and physical properties of their fertiliser compost.

Finally, they helped Lian and Carlos source new food waste streams and assess potential markets for their equipment- helping them build up valuable data which informed their business plan and market opportunities and built contacts with industry specialists.

Dr Yardley added: “At the start of this journey, Lian and Carlos were uncertain whether their idea of creating a liquid fertiliser was viable – but our testing enabled them to evaluate the product produced and compare to existing market products.  The field scale trails of their fertilizer  pellets provided critical information on application rates and its effect on yield and growth compared to existing organic and inorganic fertilisers.

“The Team, working with LOHAS and directly with the regulatory bodies, saved the LOHAS considerable time and enabled them to gain knowledge of new process development and the required evidence base.

“This has been instrumental in building confidence and preparing the company to enter the food waste recycling market.

“As they build towards this goal, LOHAS will continue collaborating with SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ to conduct further trials, refining their processes and understanding the new markets for their products.

“Once approved, their system will be commercially available in a range of processing sizes enabling rapid treatment of food waste and the production of a pastured fertiliser.”

The full Sustaining Shropshire team is led by Dr Eric Siqueiros, who is supported by four Innovation Specialists – Dr Jane Yardley, Tanya Postles, Ian Rickuss and Dr Millie Preece. 

For more information about how Sustaining Shropshire can help your business, contact the team on 01952 815173.