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DELIVERABLE REPORT THEME: CIP Eco-Innovation
First Application and market replication projects
Value4Wool "Market umbrella for the utilisation of low grade grease sheep wool as organic
amendment and fertiliser " Grant Agreement Number: ECO/11/304500
Layman report Dissemination Level of Report
PU Public ☒
PP Restricted to other program participants (including the Commission Services) ☐
RE Restricted to a group specified by the consortium (including the Commission Services) ☐
CO Confidential, only for members of the consortium (including the Commission Services) ☐
Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME)
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floraPell®
- The ecological long-term fertilizer from sheep's wool
What is floraPell®?
The floraPell® is a new organic fertiliser, in particular for the organic farming. The
floraPell® sheep wool pellets are made from low grade coarse grease wool or woollen
fleeces, to transform them to a high value organic fertiliser and soil amendment.
Historically, sheep husbandry was a multipurpose rural activity. Sheep give meat, milk and
wool. Sheep can graze over a wide range of mountains, hills or marginal ground, they protect
the landscape and keep the country open, very economically and environmental friendly.
However, with the increasing production of fabrics from artificial fibres and a high increase of
imported raw wool from Australia and Africa resulted in low demands for coarse wool in
Europe. In the last years, sheap shearing was sometimes only an animal welfare activity with
no profit for the farmer. As a consequence, the development of new products like floraPell®
sheep wool fertilizer pellets from raw coarse or dirty wool might lead to a win-win scenario
for both, sheep farmers and for the transferring companies.
The risk is the acceptance and the trust in the highly regulated producer’s framework for
organic farming. The stringency of these frameworks for different organic labels accepts only
well defined kinds of fertilising and low amounts of additional organic fertiliser, which can be
purchased by the organic producers. Nitrogen is assumed as the most deficient nutrient.
Driven by the price competitiveness nearly no sale can be expected in common agriculture.
The number of organic stakeholders or organic operators in Europe demonstrates the potential
market and big number of market actor. The selling market is much more bigger than the
purchasing one, therefore, implementation and penetration of market of pelletized fertiliser
will be affected by price not by production volume. The prices are not only coupled to the
nitrogen content, but also to the handling behaviour and application parameters. The
competition between food and energy farming force on outcome of fertilising plants as well as
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more and more strict permission procedures for use of industrial organic by- and side products
do.
A sample of floraPell® sheep wool pellets
What are the main features of floraPell®?
The main advantages of floraPell® fertilizer pellets:
• unique ecological fertilizer from the wool of healthy, living sheep
• nitrogen 10 - 12 %, potassium 4 - 6 %: organic NK fertilizer
• no extraneous additives or chemicals
• optimal for vegetables, fruits, ornamental shrubs and trees, pot plants and ornamental plants
• depot fertilizer, one application per season, effect duration: up to 10 months
• very good water reservoir, able to absorb water up to 3.5 times of its weight
• soil loosening by swelling effect
• continuous nutrient delivery and ground moisture keeping
• pH value of approx. 8.8 - remedy against overacidification of the soil
• cool and dry storable at least for 2 years
• in the soil, sheep wool pellets will be completely biodegraded
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Water storage and plant growth support capacity of floraPell® fertilizer pellets
Eco-balance for floraPell® organic fertilizer from sheep’s wool
As an innovative product in the field of biological farming, floraPell® not only meets high
standards of ecological fertilizer, such as a high nutrient content without external additives
and 100% renewable, but also in terms of an environmentally friendly manufacturing process.
The Life Cycle Assessmnet (LCA) of floraPell® was carried out considering CO2 emissions
generated during from the production of wool to transportation to the customer.
Comparison of Global Warming Potential (GWP) of mineral fertilizers and floraPell®
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The result of this comparison is that the sheep wool pellets have far lower environmental
impact in their manufacturing than mineral fertilizers. Thus, the organic fertilizer floraPell®
is not only an alternative marketing opportunity for not salable wool represents, but also
sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to mineral fertilizers.
What plants can make use of floraPell®?
The sheep wool pellets of floraPell® organic fertilizer can be used for gardening of fruit and
ornamental shrubs and trees, for gardening of vegetables as well as for in-door pot plants.
Detailed application notes can be found at http://florapell.de/englisch/application.
The wool pellets can be used as organic fertilizer in horticulture crops. The trials to assess the
efficacy of wool pellets as fertilizer were carried out on the crops processing tomato and
broccoli. The obtained results turn out specially interesting in processing tomato, due to it has
higher fertilizer needs.
After two seasons of trials, it can be conclude that for processing tomato crop the dosage of
2000 kg/ha of wool pellets would be accurate, although a P and K supplementation is
required. In the trials the K needs were met by applying an organic fertilizer 30 % K.
Agronomic and technologic or quality parameters were worked out in the trials. The results
showed that the more N applied, the more total yield obtained. Applying 200 N the net yield
reached 100 t/ha, a very good yield, taking into account it is an organic crop. The health and
the ripening stage of the tomatoes were at the same level of a conventional crop, within the
average values. The quality of the tomatoes was good, as if they were grown under
conventional cropping system.
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Figure 1. Wool pellets applied on the soil.
Figure 2. Processing tomato plants fertilized with wool pellets.
Figure 3. Tomatoes from wool pellets plots.
As for broccoli crop, we would recommend a dosage between 1000 and 1500 kg/ha of wool
pellets, according to the soil characteristics. Applying this dosage it is feasible to obtain an
acceptable net yield with good quality broccoli heads, in terms of weight, firmness and health.
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Figure 4. Broccoli produced using wool pellets as fertilizer.
It is worthy to mention that in the sensorial analysis of processing tomato and broccoli the
panellists evaluated better the samples products from the control treatments (no wool pellets
applied) or the wool pellets treatment at the lowest dosage.
After applying wool pellets as fertilizer the soil was analysed monthly throughout the whole
trial periods to evaluate the soil improving. It seems that the pH increased slightly, reached
values around 7, and the N content also increased but moderately. P and K content kept at the
same level that before wool pellets applying, and eventually K content was higher than at the
beginning, but it is necessary to take into account that K supplementation was applied. The
soil texture kept constant through the two season periods, as it is not a very easy changeable
characteristics. Finally, the total organic matter content increased slightly due to wool pellets
application, which along with the N content increment is a very important news, due to this
fact indicates the soil fertility.
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How can one buy floraPell® sheep wool pellets?
For wholesale purchasera near Dresden, Saxony, factory sales in Lauchhammer might be
the best solution. The retail network is in the state of construction, one can ask for
floraPell® sheep wool pellets at a garden center at one’s convenience. In case there is no
direct sales of floraPell® fertilizer pellets near to one’s place, all floraPell® products can
be ordered in the online shop at http://shop.florapell.de. Delivery is usually within 2 working
days after order completion.
The floraPell® product range
Premium quality is made for the customer.
1. Quality Description:
1.1 physical properties:
- Bulk density:> 650 kg / cbm
- Grain size 8 mm
- free-flowing
1 .
f l o r a P e l l ®
„M ini"
20g
2 .
f l o r a P e l l ®
„Smal l"
100g
3 .
f l o r a P e l l ®
„ C o mp a c t "
4 5 0 g
5 : f loraPel l®
„Stock"
25kg sack
4 .
f l o r a P e l l ®
„ S t o c k"
2 , 5 kg
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Commercial quality is made solely to large farm customers, the product is not approved for
retail stores.
1. Quality Description:
1.1 physical properties:
- Bulk density:> 350 kg / cbm
- Grain size 8 mm
- free-flowing
1.2 composition, nutrient content:
- Unchanged, see Declaration floraPell®, premium
This product is substantive cheaper than premium quality.
Certification
• floraPell was added to the supply material list for organic farming in Germany (FiBL eV)
• floraPell corresponds to the European fertilizer regulations
• certificates under http://florapell.de/englisch/information/certification-trademark-protection.
What is the project Value for Wool?
The Project “Market umbrella for utilisation of low grade grease sheep wool as organic
amendment and fertiliser” promoted within the ECO-innovation programme was developed
by a consortium composed of four partners from different European countries. The main
objectives to achieve in this project were to introduce a new organic fertiliser into the market
and design and implement a new market for this product, based on regional oriented business
The target market for the new fertilisers, consisting of sheep wool, is the European organic
farmers. Whereas the wool needed to manufacture the pelletized fertilisers have to be
purchased to sheep farmers.
The project Value for Wool is a CIP Eco-innovation project, aiming at the support of the new
product floraPell® sheep wool pellets, specifically:
• to introduce a new organic fertiliser into the market, in particular into the organic farming
market, thereby improving low grade coarse grease wool or woollen fleeces to a high value
organic fertiliser and soil amendment;
• to design and implement a new market structure for this product which covers regional
enterprises under a market umbrella for purchasing, producing and selling the fertiliser
commonly but based on regional oriented business to business within relevant European
areas.
The project addresses some relevant topics of European policy in agro-food branch like reuse
of by-products, performance of environmental friendly livestock breeding, protection of
environment and landscape by sheep running as well as strengthening of income in rural
areas.
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The project Value4Wool is launched by a consortium of five European partners from the
countries Austria, Germany, Hungary and Spain.
The figure below describes the structure of the Work Packages (WPs) of the project,
illustrating the connection between the market and the specific tasks, also placing in context
the respective partners responsible for a task.
Value4wool Work Packages
List of participants
Participant name Country Main Role in Consortium (WPs)
ifn Anwenderzentrum GmbH ifn Germany coordinator, technology provider (WP 1, 2, 6)
Centro Tecnologico National
Agroalimentario Extremadura
CTAEX Spain Provider of demonstration and application trials and
knowledge (WP 3, 7)
T&T Technik KFT SZENTES T&T Hungary Manufacturer, pelletizing technology provider
PBI Austria GmbH PBI Austria Trader/supplier for organic agro-food producers
CIVIS-Innovacio GmbH CIVIS Hungary Marketing expert for penetration market (WP 4, 5)
One of the main goals of the project Value4Wool - "Market umbrella for the utilisation of low
grade grease sheep wool as organic amendment and fertiliser" is to establish a “market
umbrella”, a common corporation among the partners, which is able to steer an international
consortium consisting of regional clusters. All these clusters are to be organized around the
product FloraPell® sheep wool pellets, but organizational structure and highlights of these
clusters differ from country to country and from cluster to cluster.
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Where can one participate the project of the
production and sale of floraPell® pellets?
Wool buyers, pellet producers and pellet sellers who are able and willing to cooperate, and
able to speak English/German are welcome to take part production and sale of floraPell®
pellets. In shaping future FloraPell® clusters, especially distributors and producers of similar
products (e.g. garden centres or pellet producers) are addressed, but cooperation with the
associations of organic producers and owners of organic labels are also important. To be
contacted is the project coordinator ifn, based in the Eastern part of Germany, or the project
partners CTAEX in Spain, PBI in Austria or CIVIS in Hungary.
Existing and planned clusters in Germany, Spain and Austria-Hungary