Field trial with mineral-organic fertiliser made from marine by-products and biogas production
Havila Biogass in Raudsand produces fertiliser from biogas production but also has access to materials suitable for use as fertiliser and soil improvers without going through a biogas reactor.
The project aims to mix marine by-products with livestock manure and fish sludge that have been processed in a biogas plant to produce a mineral-organic fertiliser with a good yield response in cereals.
Barley field-trial
A field trial was established in Sunndal Municipality, Møre og Romsdal, in May 2025. The fertilising effect of two types of mineral-organic fertiliser will be compared with conventional mineral fertiliser and control plots without fertiliser.
The ingredients in the mineral-organic fertiliser include solid digestate from a biogas plant, combined with urea, seaweed residues, and sediment from hydrolysed salmon trimmings. The urea powder is a by-product from production of omega 3 from fish oil.When the barley moves from flowering to ripening, we will examine how much nutrients the plants have taken up. It will then be interesting to see whether the new fertiliser types can produce barley yields comparable to those from mineral fertiliser.
Pellets, powder or slurry?
Fertiliser products can be applied in both solid and liquid forms. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages. The fertiliser must not only be spread on the fields but also be storable without degradation. Based on the properties of the materials, we will evaluate the best methods to achieve a storage-stable fertiliser that is easy to spread. We will also assess which materials may be suitable for use in fertiliser approved for organic farming.
Fertiliser value chain
The company NorBio has been established to develop fertiliser products in collaboration with Havila Biogass. The Norwegian Agricultural Advisory Service in Sunndal is an important discussion partner and is also conducting field trials with relevant crops. NORSØK contributes knowledge about marine by-products and digestate for fertiliser use, and the practical development of fertiliser products that can be stored, distributed, and applied.
NorBio, NLR, and NORSØK are cooperating in the MinOrg project. In the long term, fertiliser and soil amendments for both conventional and organic farmers might be produced from available residual materials in Møre og Romsdal.
